1,129 people killed, 3,500 wounded in Eastern Ukraine since April 2014
Monitoring Desk: According to United Nations (UN) estimates, around 1,129 people have been killed, 3,500 wounded in eastern Ukraine while 100,000 got refuge in Russia since April 2014,
The UN report also states that these are the minimum casualty toll estimates by the UN monitoring mission and WHO. The report says that the cause of the rising death toll is intensified artillery shelling on civilian residential areas and armed actions in the heavily-populated areas. Pro-EU government of Ukraine is trying to get Eastern Ukraine back from rebels who have announced independence through a referendum.
Attacks on civilian population have intensified after shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in Donetsk in Torez suburban area. On Sunday night, Ukraine launched massive attack against rebels around crash spot of MH17 after contract of rebels with Malaysian government.
Despite the commitment for not attacking rebel forces within the 40 km radius of MH17 crash spot, Ukrainian forces has launched a massive attack against rebels that has halted visit of international experts on the crash spot.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the Ukrainian security forces are making efforts to free the territory of crash spot from rebels to ensure international security experts and the opportunity to make an examination. Representative of the information center of the Council Andrey Lysenko at the briefing on Sunday said that the security forces are making efforts to free the territory of the fall of Boeing from “terrorists “to ensure the access of international security experts. However he did not explain why this action is taking place when rebels have a contract with Malaysian government to give full access to the crash spot and Malaysian Prime Minister is satisfied with his contract with rebels.
It may be mentioned that President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has instructed the Ukrainian military “not to use fire” in a radius of 40 kilometres around the site of the crash. However, an hour before the start of fighting in Shakhtersk, which is located 10 kilometers from the crash site MH17, local residents saw a large column of armed forces with around 40 armored personnel carriers and BMD, several tanks, dozens of trucks encircling roads leading to crash spot of Mh17 and using heavy weapons and a barrage of rockets on town and area around crash site.
