Over 60 Civilians Killed, 285 Injured in Eastern Ukraine in 2017 - OSCE

At least 65 civilians have been killed and 285 others injured in the conflict in Ukraine's Donbass since the beginning of the year, Alexander Hug, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) principal deputy chief monitor, said Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Hug explained that many civilians have been injured in the incidents involving unexploded mines and other ordnance, adding that this means the parties failed to clear the region of mines.

“From January 1 to August 13 this year, we have recorded 93 such cases, involving 28 deaths and 65 injuries,” Hug said.

#OSCE Hug: Sides' failure to remove mines & UXO hindered monitors access 600 times, took 28 lives, injured 65 people in 2017

— OSCE SMM Ukraine (@OSCE_SMM) August 18, 2017

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The military conflict in Donbass started in 2014 after a coup in the country's capital city of Kiev. The new authorities launched a military operation after the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) refused to recognize them as a legitimate government.

In February 2015, the parties to the Ukrainian conflict signed the Minsk peace accords to end the fighting in the crisis-affected region. Under the agreement, the conflicting parties have to introduce safe zones to stop violence and pave way for a diplomatic reconciliation. Nevertheless, sporadic armed conflicts keep reoccurring in the region.

The conflict so far has claimed the lives of over 10,000 people.