MOSCOW (AFP) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Friday called on the Kiev authorities to stop killing their own citizens, saying the use of force against civilians was a sign of "criminal helplessness."

"Those in power in the Ukrainian capital should come to their senses and stop killing their citizens. Otherwise the fate of the country could turn out to be really sad," Medvedev said on Facebook.

"The use of force in Ukraine's southeast is a sign of criminal helplessness of Kiev's de facto rulers."