The United Nations says more than 300 deaths have been reported in Ukraine’s volatile eastern regions since a ceasefire began a month ago.
In a report, released on Wednesday, the UN Human Rights Office said clashes between government troops and pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine have left at least 331 people dead after ceasefire took effect in September.
According to the report, at least 3,660 people have been killed and 8,756 others injured in the period between mid-April and October 6.
Kiev and the pro-Russians inked a Russian-proposed truce pact on September 5 in a move to put an end to heavy clashes in Ukraine’s eastern provinces but the fighting continues unabated. According to reports, mortar shelling has killed more than a dozen since the weekend.
Elsewhere, Wednesday’s report raised concerns over the “ill-treatment” of detainees by both sides of the conflict.
Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein said in a statement that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine needed to be halted so eastern Ukraine residents could reclaim their fundamental rights to education, housing and healthcare.
“While the ceasefire is a very welcome step towards ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine, I call on all parties to genuinely respect and uphold it, and to halt the attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure once and for all,” he added.
Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking regions in the east have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Moscow activists and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations to silence pro-Russians in mid-April.
Violence intensified in May after Donetsk and Lugansk regions held local referendums, in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine.
