Russia insists on immediately stopping the shelling of populated areas in southeastern Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"We have done all we could to stop this bloodshed and still firmly demand this. It is necessary to stop trying to win back one populated area or another and, most importantly, immediately stop the shelling of populated areas, including Donetsk and other major cities in this region, particularly from the air and using heavy weapons," Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow on Wednesday.