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East Ukraine conflict claimed nearly 3,000 civilian lives — ICRC

According to the UN, at least 78 deaths and 363 injuries of civilians were reported in Ukraine in the first half of 2017

© Mikhail Sokolov/TASS

KIEV, August 20. /TASS/. Almost 3,000 civilians have been killed since the civil conflict in East Ukraine erupted in the wake of the 2014 state coup, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Saturday.

"Over 2,700 civilians have been killed in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine," the organization said in a Twitter post.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), at least 78 deaths and 363 injuries of civilians were reported in Ukraine in the first half of 2017, up 26% year-on-year (49 deaths and 277 injuries). Mortar shelling remains the main cause of civilian deaths and injuries, followed by land mines, unexploded ordnances and tripwire mines.

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