Russia on Friday called on US-led forces to halt their offensive against Iraqi insurgents and refrain from the "disproportionate" use of force in the war-torn nation.
"Russia calls for an end to military operations and restraint," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
It said a key UN Security Council resolution on Iraq forbids "the indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force."
Russia expressed particular concern about the situation in Fallujah, which has been encircled and bombed by US troops days after four civilian contractors were killed and dragged through the streets by a mob.
"Hospitals, civilian buildings and religious establishments are being attacked. Completely innocent people are being killed as a result, including the elderly, women and children. We have seen hundreds of people wounded," the ministry said.
In one of the strongest-worded recent statements on Iraq, the Russian foreign ministry said it was "imperative ... to halt the humanitarian catastrophe" afflicting some Iraq cities, and "not to permit an escalation in the Iraqi conflict."
The United States is due to hand over power to an Iraqi interim government by June 30, the deadline it established for the handover of sovereignty.
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