The OSCE Permanent Council is holding an extraordinary meeting to address the escalation of the fighting near Avdiyivka, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maryana Betsa said on Tuesday evening.

"The OSCE has begun an extraordinary meeting," Betsa said on Twitter. "We are calling on our partners to increase pressure on Russia," she said.

The Ukrainian mission to the OSCE said on Twitter with reference to Ukrainian Permanent Representative Ihor Prokopchuk that the Ukrainian authorities are doing all they can to help the people in Avdiyivka, which has been left without heating, electricity, and water supply because of the shelling.