RT News & Vladimir Astapkovich / RIA Novosti – 2014-08-13 23:49:16
http://rt.com/news/180020-ukraine-death-toll-un
Death Toll in Ukraine Conflict Doubles in 2 Weeks, Reaches 2,086 — UN
RT News
(August 13, 2014) — The number of killed and wounded in eastern Ukraine has doubled to 2,086 over the last two weeks, according to the UN’s “very conservative estimates.”
“This corresponds to a clear escalating trend,” UN human rights spokeswoman Cecile Pouilly told Reuters in response to a query. Over 60 people have been killed or wounded every day, Pouilly added. Almost 5,000 have been wounded.
The figures comprise Ukrainian military, self-defense forces, and civilians. However, those are “very conservative estimates,” Pouilly said.
The Ukraine crisis has been widely described as a humanitarian catastrophe. According to the UN’s latest estimates, over 110,000 people have been internally displaced in the conflict. Moscow has reported that 730,000 people have fled across the border into Russia.
In Donetsk alone, more than 1,000 people have been left homeless due to the fighting, according to the city administration. In Lugansk, another regional center, 250,000 people can’t leave the city and have been without water, electricity, and communications for over a week.
The Russian humanitarian aid is set to arrive to the Russian-Ukrainian border by the end of Wednesday. However, the Ukrainian authorities repeatedly stated that they won’t allow the aid to pass — despite the Red Cross and the OSCE observers watching over the mission.
Kiev Seeks to ‘Raze Southeast to the Ground,’ Expel Russian Speakers — Lavrov
Vladimir Astapkovich / RIA Novosti
SOCHI (August 11, 2014) — The Kiev government’s military operation in eastern Ukraine seems to be aimed at “razing the southeast to the ground” and forcing the Russian-speaking population to flee, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.
“So far, it seems that the purpose of the so-called anti-terrorist operation is to raze the southeast [of Ukraine] to the ground and make all Russians leave it. Apparently, with a purpose to later populate it with those who have a different view of our history, culture, friendship and centuries-long ties between our peoples,” Lavrov told reporters during his visit to Sochi.
Kiev launched a military crackdown on independence supporters in the mostly Russian-speaking eastern regions of the country in mid-April. According to the United Nations, at least 1,367 people have lost their lives, with more than 730,000 Ukrainian residents fleeing to Russia since the beginning of the conflict.
The Russian Federal Migration Service reported last week that about 60,000 Ukrainians have requested refugee status or temporary asylum in Russia. Moscow has repeatedly condemned Kiev’s war against its own people and urged an immediate stop to the punitive operation, advocating a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
Neo-Nazi Threat in New Ukraine
Gabriel Gatehouse / BBC Newsnight
(February 28, 2014) — BBC Newsnight investigates the links between the new Ukrainian government and Neo-nazis.
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