More from the Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights statement released in connection with the new report that says the Ukrainian conflict has killed at least 1,129 people since mid-April, injured 3,442 more, and left some 100,000 people displaced.
The OHCHR accuses pro-Russian separatists of subjecting eastern Ukraine to "a reign of intimidation and terror" and suggests the downing of MH17 "may amount to a war crime."
The latest report -- the agency's fourth -- covers the period from July 8 to 15. Here's an excerpt from the OHCHR statement accompanying it:
A total breakdown of law and order and a reign of fear and terror have been inflicted by armed groups on the population of eastern Ukraine, according to a new report issued today by the Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The report documents how these armed groups continue to abduct, detain, torture and execute people kept as hostages in order to intimidate and “to exercise their power over the population in raw and brutal ways.” Well organized and well equipped militarily, these armed groups have intensified their challenge to the Government of Ukraine, the report says. In response, there has been an acceleration of Government security operations during July in the areas still under the control of the armed groups, with heavy fighting located in and around population centres, resulting in loss of life, property and infrastructure and causing thousands to flee.
“The reports of increasingly intense fighting in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are extremely alarming, with both sides employing heavy weaponry in built-up areas, including artillery, tanks, rockets and missiles,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay.
“Both sides must take great care to prevent more civilians from being killed or injured,” she added. “Already increasing numbers of people are being killed with serious damage to civilian infrastructure, which – depending on circumstances – could amount to violations of international humanitarian law. The fighting must stop.”
From our news desk:
The spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, Andriy Lysenko, has said analysis of "black box" flight-recorder data shows Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was hit by shrapnel and suffered "massive explosive decompression."
International investigators have not given their conclusions from the black-box data.
Confirmation that latest attempt to reach MH17 crash site abandoned:
The battle for control of which TV (Russian or Ukrainian) people watch in eastern Ukraine continues:
Kyiv says more shelling from Russian side of the border:
The fighting seems to have intensified around the MH17 crash site, as our news desk reports:
Fighting between Ukrainian military forces and separatist militants has intensified in the area where Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 went down on July 17.
The Ukrainian government reported on July 28 that its forces had captured the city of Debaltsevo and the hill of Saur-Mohyla, in the Donetsk region.
Government troops have also reportedly "entered" the towns of Shakhtarsk and Torez. National Guard units are also reportedly on the outskirts of the city of Horlivka.
The fighting comes as a team of Dutch and Australian police officers were attempting once again to make their way to the MH17 crash site. The Dutch government issued a statement saying the team had turned back amid "explosions."
The team failed to reach the area on July 27.
Government forces are also on the offensive in the Luhansk region, with fighting reported near the city of Pervomaysk. (Interfax, AP, and AFP)