At least 18 civilians have been killed on both sides of the Donbas contact line as a result of hostilities in 2019, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) said in a statement.

"The Special Monitoring Mission has confirmed 145 civilian casualties since the beginning of 2019, including 18 deaths and 127 injuries," BBC Ukraine said with reference to the OSCE SMM's response to its enquiry.

According to the mission, the rate of civilian fatalities was smaller this year than in 2018 when 43 civilians were killed and 179 injured.

The OSCE SMM recorded almost 300,000 ceasefire violations this year.