More than 9,000 killed since start of Ukraine conflict: UN
Geneva, Dec 9, 2015 (AFP) -- More than 9,000 people have been killed since the conflict in Ukraine began, the United Nations said Wednesday, warning that even though fighting had abated, millions were stuck in precarious situations.
In its latest report on the situation in Ukraine, the UN human rights office said that between August 16 and November 15, 47 civilians were killed and 131 injured in the conflict zones of eastern Ukraine -- sharply down from the previous three-month period.
But nonetheless, at least 9,098 people -- including civilians, soldiers and militia members -- have perished since the beginning of the conflict in mid-April 2014 until the middle of last month, with another 20,732 injured, the report said.
Kerry plans to visit Russia within the week
PARIS (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he hopes to visit Russia within the next week for talks on the crisis in Syria and Ukraine.
Kerry said Wednesday in Paris that he is planning to visit Moscow "in a week" to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the two matters.
If he makes the trip, it will come ahead of a planned international diplomatic meeting on Syria at the United Nations on December 18, at which the U.N. Security Council expects to adopt a resolution in support of peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition.
It would be Kerry's second visit to Russia this year and second since Moscow's intervention in Ukraine. He traveled to Sochi in May to see Putin and Lavrov.
More Than 9,000 Killed In Eastern Ukraine Conflict, UN Says
A UN report released on December 9 says the confirmed death toll from the conflict in eastern Ukraine now exceeds 9,000, despite a “significant reduction of hostilities in certain parts” of the region.
The report by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine attributed the decrease in hostilities to the withdrawal of “certain heavy weapons by the Ukrainian military” and pro-Russian separatist fighters.
But it warned that weapons and fighters are still pouring into rebel-held areas of eastern Ukraine from Russia.
It said the death toll since fighting began in April 2014 had reached 9,098 in mid-November with another 20, 732 people injured.
The casualty toll includes civilians, Ukrainian government troops, and pro-Russian armed groups.
The report says there were 47 civilian deaths in eastern Ukraine between August 26 and November 15.
It said most of those deaths were caused by “explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices, underscoring the urgent need for extensive mine clearance and mine awareness actions on both sides of the conflict line."
Here is today's map of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council (CLICK TO ENLARGE):
