18:46 08.12.2016

Number of civilian casualties in hostilities in eastern Ukraine in decline

2 min read
Number of civilian casualties in hostilities in eastern Ukraine in decline

The number of civilian casualties in the hostilities in eastern Ukraine has declined, 32 civilians were killed over the past three months, 132 were injured, the 16th report on the human rights situation in Ukraine said.

Presenting the report in Kyiv on Thursday, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine Fiona Frazer said that the intensification of diplomatic efforts to deescalate hostilities has facilitated this.

UN monitors have seen a general decline in civilian casualties over these three months, and a quadruple drop in casualties has been recorded in September against August, Frazer said. The report cited data from August 16 through November 15.

However, the insufficient level of ceasefire observance by both conflicting sides is resulting in the resumption of hostilities, she said.

The number of casualties has again fallen in November and early December, she said.

The report also said that since the start of the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine (since the middle of April 2014) 9,758 people have been killed, about 22,779 people have been injured. Over 2,000 of the people killed are civilians.

This statistical data takes into account the casualties of the Malaysian MH-17 airliner crash that comprised 298 people, Frazer said.

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