The death toll from the conflict in eastern Ukraine has topped 5,350, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said on Tuesday.

The death toll from the conflict in eastern Ukraine has topped 5,350, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said on Tuesday.

Another 12,235 people have been wounded since the middle of April 2014, he said, adding that at least 224 civilians were killed and 545 wounded during the last three weeks of January.

Any further escalation of the conflict will be disastrous for the 5.2 million people who live in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine, he said.

He said sporadic shelling attacks on districts controlled by the government, or the militia have led to severe civilian casualties.

The UN is seriously concerned about irregular supplies of water and food to eastern Ukraine, by electricity blackouts and by the economic siege imposed on eastern Ukraine by the Ukrainian leadership.

Al-Hussein urged all the conflicting parties and those who have powers to influence further development to ensure the enforcement of the Minsk accords.

The protection of civilians by all the parties in the conflict must be given priority importance, he said.

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