DONETSK, November 5. /TASS/. Prosecutors in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said on Wednesday they continue searching for new mass graves in eastern Ukraine but this effort has been hampered by armed clashes and mines.

“We are sure that there are rather many burials in various parts of DPR, both in our territories and those controlled by Ukraine’s troops. But to discover them there is a need to clear mines,” the press service for the Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement.

Conducting investigative activities in certain areas is “dangerous” as Ukrainian government troops are stationed there, it said.

Last month’s report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights failed to mention mass graves found outside Donetsk, contrary to pledges by Spokesperson for the UN Secretary General Stephane Dujarric that the issue would be included in the document.

Mass graves with bodies bearing signs of violent death were discovered on September 23 by self-defense militias some 35km north-east of Donetsk. Forensic experts came to the conclusion that the people had been shot in the head at close range. This area was earlier controlled by Ukrainian security forces and the Aidar battalion.

Russia has earlier called on international organizations, namely the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and UN human rights structures to take more responsibility for completing the investigations of crimes committed in Ukraine.