DONETSK, October 1. /TASS/. About 10,000 civilians have been killed in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in Ukraine’s armed aggression since 2014, Natalya Nikonorova, member of the Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament) Committee on Foreign Affairs and former DPR Foreign Minister, said in an interview with TASS.

"A total of 9,793 civilians, including 247 kids, have been killed since the outset of Ukraine’s armed aggression, and another 15,995 people, among them 1,032 children, have suffered injuries," she specified.

According to Nikonorova, 162 people have been killed in Ukrainian attacks on the DPR since the beginning of the year, and 908 people, including 62 children, were injured. "I am absolutely sure that all those responsible will face just punishment for their crimes against the lives and health of our people," the senator stressed.

She pointed out the damage done to the region’s infrastructure was estimated in hundreds of billions of rubles, and Kiev’s reparations to those affected should be included in a peace agreement. "What I believe is important to say here is that while the destroyed infrastructure can be measured in monetary terms, the broken lives of our people and the stolen childhood of Donbass children can never be repaid with money," Nikonorova noted.

On September 23-27, 2022, the DPR and the Lugansk People’s Republic, as well as the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, held referendums on accession to Russia where the majority of voters opted to join Russia. On October 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed treaties ratifying the agreements on their accession.