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Developments in eastern Ukraine

No reports of civilian casualties in Ukraine during regimen of silence - UN

As of December 7 at least 4,634 people were killed

UNITED NATIONS, December 13. /TASS/. Starting from the moment the regimen of silence in the east of Ukraine took effect there has not been a single report of civilian casualties, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said in a report on Friday.

“The regimen of silence” began by mutual consent of all parties to the conflict at 10.00 on December 9 to have lasted for a whole week. During this period there have been no reports of civilian casualties. The UNOCHA described this as a “noteworthy success.”

The UNOCHA also mentioned the latest statistics of fatalities and casualties during the conflict between Kiev and the militias.

“As of December 7 at least 4,634 people were killed (including 298 in the Malaysian Boeing crash), and 10,243 others were injured," the report says.

The UNOCHA estimates the number of internally displaced persons at 542,000, and refugees, at 568,000. The report’s authors paid attention to statistics available from OSCE monitors at the Gukovo and Donetsk checkpoints indicating that the flow of refugees returning from Russia increased lately.

The UNOCHA expressed deep concern over the Kiev authorities’ “announcement calling for the closure and withdrawal of all governmental services and personnel from areas controlled by armed groups” and the fact that “the National Bank of Ukraine has closed locations and services, complicating access to cash and liquidity for conflict-affected people living in these areas.”

“The human rights and humanitarian implications of this move are serious and will deepen the vulnerability of those populations most in need of assistance, particularly as winter deepens making these essential services more life-saving in nature,” the UNOCHA said.

Efforts were nearing completion to finalize a strategic plan for response to the humanitarian situation in Ukraine in 2015. The plan is to be made public in Kiev on December 17. A preliminary plan estimated at 33 million dollars was presented in August.

As of 12 December, donors have contributed 31 million dollars to UN only accounts only, while the total amount provided by donors to international aid organizations for relief activities in Ukraine amounts to 60.3 million dollars.

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Eastern Ukraine

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