EAST UKRAINE DEATH TOLL EXCEEDS 5,000: UN

New York, 3 Rabi’ul Akhir 1436/24 January 2015 (MINA)– The United Nations says over 5,000 people have been killed during the ongoing conflict in war-torn eastern Ukraine.

UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told a news briefing in Geneva on Friday that the actual figure is likely to be far higher, because the figures only cover registered deaths.

He added that the figures also include 262 people killed in fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russians over the past nine days, Press TV quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“The significant escalation of hostilities since January 13 has taken the toll to 5,086 individuals and we fear the real figure may be considerably higher,” Colville said, adding, “We don’t necessarily get all the military casualties.”

Sources say some 10,948 people have also been wounded since the beginning of the conflict in mid-April last year.

The latest death toll is based on official data on casualties jointly collected by UN human rights monitors and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Back in September 2014, the representatives of Ukraine, Russia, and the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk inked a ceasefire deal in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. The truce has been violated almost daily by both the Ukrainian military and pro-Russia forces.

Donetsk and Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine and with mainly Russian-speaking populations, have been the scene of deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since Kiev’s military operation started in April 2014 in a bid to crush the protests.

Violence intensified in May 2014 after the two flashpoint regions held local referendums in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine and joining the Russian Federation. (T/P010/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)