The UN Security Council will meet next week to discuss the flare-up of violence in Ukraine, diplomats said Friday.

The UN Security Council will meet next week to discuss the flare-up of violence in Ukraine, diplomats said Friday.

A meeting of the 15-member council will be held on Wednesday at the request of Lithuania.

There has been an upsurge in violence this week, with fighting around Donetsk airport on Thursday forcing monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to turn back.

At least six Ukrainian soldiers and five civilians were killed on Thursday and Friday, and 18 others were wounded, officials said.

The council and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon have strongly condemned a rocket attack on a bus earlier this week that left 11 civilians dead.

It will be the 27th meeting called by the Security Council to address the crisis in east Ukraine, where Kiev's government troops have been fighting pro-Moscow separatists.