War in Donbas kills over 3,300 civilians – UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine

The war in Donbas has killed over 3,300 civilians, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said in a statement, noting that casualties had reduced substantially since July.

At present, casualties are at their all-time lowest, the statement said. Hopefully, this trend will continue, mission head Matilda Bogner said at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Bogner presented a human rights report for Ukraine for the period between May 16 and August 15, 2019.

During the three-month reporting period, eight civilians (four men and four women) were killed as a result of the conflict, and 60 civilians, including nine children, were injured, she said.

Casualties reduced substantially after the sides reinstated a ceasefire on July 21, Bogner said.

The mission freely operates in the areas controlled by the Ukrainian government and has confidential access to detention facilities, she said.

At the same time, the mission's activity has been extremely limited in the areas held by the armed groups for over a year, Bogner said.

The mission is concerned about custody conditions in areas uncontrolled by Kyiv, she said.