UN: At Least 7,962 People Killed In Ukraine Conflict

The United Nations says at least 7,962 people have been killed and 17,811 wounded in the conflict in Ukraine.

"This is a conservative estimate and the actual numbers could be considerably higher," the UN Human Rights Office said on September 8.

Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists have been fighting in the country’s east since April 2014.

Ukraine's Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said on September 8 that Ukrainian forces were coming under attack just two to four times a day -- the lowest rate in the past year and a half.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged fighting had died down, but blamed Kyiv for not moving forward on other provisions of a cease-fire agreement struck in Minsk in February, including greater autonomy for the rebel-held areas.

Based on reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and the BBC