Vladimir Putin has said Russia is "ready to repel any aggression" after comparing Ukraine's military to the Nazi army.

Speaking to a youth camp outside Moscow on Friday, he said: "Russia is far from being involved in any large-scale conflicts.

"We don't want that and don't plan on it. But naturally, we should always be ready to repel any aggression towards Russia," he said, adding that it was "best not to mess with us [Russia]" and its nuclear-arsenal-backed armed forces.

"Thank God, I think no one is thinking of unleashing a large-scale conflict with Russia. I want to remind you that Russia is one of the leading nuclear powers."

His comments came as Nato released satellite images appearing to show Russian soldiers and tanks in a rebel-held area of eastern Ukraine.

The pictures were taken as confirmation of long-held suspicions by Western leaders that Russia is arming and directly working with separatists fighting the Ukrainian Government.

The President has frequently condemned Kiev's operation in eastern Ukraine, accusing it of "waging war against its own people".

He told the youth camp the battle against separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk was reminiscent of the Nazi's seige of Leningrad in the Second World War.

"Small villages and large cities surrounded by the Ukrainian army which is directly hitting residential areas with the aim of destroying the infrastructure," he said.

"It sadly reminds me the events of the Second World War, when German fascist occupants surrounded our cities."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believes Russians and Ukrainians are 'practically one people' (ALEXEI NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images)

An average 36 people are dying every day as the conflict continues to rage in eastern Ukraine, with both Government forces and rebels being accused of targeting civilians in a violation of international law.

The death toll has reached at least 2,593 people, including civilians killed in Government assaults on separatist-held areas, according to the United Nations.

A report issued by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday documented the deaths of people trapped in besieged cities and abuses including torture and abduction on both sides.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, urged all parties to comply with the law.

“Deliberate targeting of civilians is a violation of international humanitarian law and more must be done to protect them,” she said.

“All those involved in the hostilities in the affected areas of the east must at all times comply with the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.

The body of a woman lies on the ground after a shelling in the main separatist stronghold Donetsk. Three bodies were identified by bystanders as members of the same family (DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty Images)

“This is particularly important in densely populated areas.

“There is an urgent need to end the fighting and violence in the eastern regions, before more civilians are harmed or forced to flee, or face intolerable hardships trapped inside the conflict zones.”

Intense fighting and shelling in densely-populated rebel strongholds has increased civilian casualties, the report said.

In the period from 16 July to 17 August, it found people trapped in urban areas or trying to flee the fighting using supposedly “safe” corridors established by the Government were being killed and wounded.

Others have been prevented by armed groups from leaving the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk as Government forces tightened blockades in efforts to re-take control.

More than half the population of both cities have already fled but not enough was done to evacuate them, according to the report.

A man runs out of the destroyed building after shelling in Donetsk on 10 August (AP)

Those most vulnerable were institutionalised children, older people and those with disabilities and the evacuation of many children to safety in other parts of the country was blocked by armed groups.

Most human rights abuses documented were committed by armed rebel groups who seized control of swathes of eastern Ukraine in April.

There were reports of abductions involving physical and psychological torture, and detainees being subjected to forced labour.

At least 468 people were believed to be detained by various armed groups in mid-August, although the current figure is not known.

There have also been reports of human rights violations, such as arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and torture committed by the Ukrainian territorial and special battalions.

Ukraine crisis: Civilians targeted in Donetsk Show all 11 1 /11 Ukraine crisis: Civilians targeted in Donetsk Ukraine crisis: Civilians targeted in Donetsk Ukraine crisis An injured man hugs a woman as they sit in an ambulance after shelling in the main separatist stronghold of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine. Three civilians had been killed in shelling in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk, where Kiev's army is fighting pro-Russian separatists, AFP correspondents saw AFP PHOTO / DIMITAR DILKOFF Ukraine crisis: Civilians targeted in Donetsk Ukraine crisis Local residents sit in a basement used as a shelter from artillery fire, in the settlement of Makiivka, on the outskirts of Donetsk. Artillery fire could be heard on Tuesday in Makiivka, on the eastern outskirts of the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Reuters reporters at the scene said REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov Ukraine crisis: Civilians targeted in Donetsk Ukraine crisis Pro-Russian separatist troops run away from a burning car after Ukranian army shelling in Donetsk, Ukraine EPA/VALENTIN EGORSHIN Ukraine crisis: Civilians targeted in Donetsk Ukraine crisis Ukrainian soldiers park their hardware on roadside as they are waiting for the start of the march into the town of Mariupol, eastern Ukraine. Heavy shelling hit a town of Novoazovsk in southeastern Ukraine on the third day of an assault that has forced government troops to spread their ranks thinner along the Russian border AP Photo/Sergei Grits Ukraine crisis: Civilians targeted in Donetsk Ukraine crisis The body of a woman lies on the ground after a shelling in the main separatist stronghold Donetsk. Three bodies, identified by bystanders as members of the same family, were seen in a residential neighbourhood east of the city centre DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty Images Ukraine crisis: Civilians targeted in Donetsk Ukraine crisis Ukrainian soldiers park their hardware on roadside as they are waiting for the start of the march in the town of Mariupol, eastern Ukraine AP Photo/Sergei Grits Ukraine crisis: Civilians targeted in Donetsk Ukraine crisis Armed pro-Russian separatists speak with local residents on a street in the settlement of Makiivka, on the outskirts of Donetsk REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov Ukraine crisis: Civilians targeted in Donetsk Ukraine crisis A car burns after Ukranian army shelling in Donetsk, Ukraine. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on the sidelines of a summit in Minsk that he wanted to find a compromise to end the bloodshed that includes the interests of the people in eastern Ukraine EPA/VALENTIN EGORSHIN Ukraine crisis: Civilians targeted in Donetsk Ukraine crisis Local residents wait in a basement used as a shelter from artillery fire, in the settlement of Makiivka, on the outskirts of Donetsk REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov Ukraine crisis: Civilians targeted in Donetsk Ukraine crisis An armed pro-Russian separatist checks papers of a local resident on a street in the settlement of Makiivka REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov Ukraine crisis: Civilians targeted in Donetsk Ukraine crisis A paramedic assists an injured man after shelling in the main separatist stronghold of Donetsk. German Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed for a new ceasefire in crisis talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko as a controversial Russian convoy returned home DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty Images

The OHCHR said “more control” should be exercised over volunteer soldiers, in particular instructing them in international humanitarian law.

The Government has arrested more than 1,000 people in eastern Ukraine because of what it calls “irrefutable evidence of their participation in terrorist activities” but according to the report, procedural rights have not always been observed and there are reports of ill-treatment during arrest or while in custody.

More than 1,500 cases of alleged offences committed by local officials and citizens in the east have already been investigated by Ukrainian authorities and more than 150 people have been prosecuted.

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Three laws approved by the Government to significantly expand the powers of law enforcement bodies “appear to be in conflict with international human rights norms and standards”, the report said.

“Justice and accountability must replace impunity for major human rights violations that have occurred over the past four months,” the Ms Pillay said.

“And justice must be applied to all. It is essential that the Government takes firm action to prevent reprisals and all other forms of unlawful retribution.