Ukraine death toll tops 6,000 amid fighting: UN

The number of people killed in eastern Ukraine since last April has now topped 6,000, despite successive ceasefires, a UN spokesman said Monday, citing the latest report from the UN Office for High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The estimated death toll was caused by the ongoing fighting in the eastern part of Ukraine, which put the country on the brink of a "new and very deadly chapter" in the continuing conflict, the OHCHR said in the latest human rights monitoring mission report, the ninth, which was issued on Monday.

"The high commissioner said that it is imperative that all sides comply with the provisions of the Minsk Agreements and halt the indiscriminate shelling and other hostilities that have created a dreadful situation for civilians, in stark disregard of international humanitarian law and human rights law," Dujarric said.

The latest peace agreement was reached after negotiations between leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine on Feb. 12 in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, aimed at ending the conflict which has claimed the lives of more than 5,300 people at that time.

On Feb. 23, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, and they agreed on the need for " urgent and full implementation" of the Minsk Agreement.

"The high commissioner said that the report paints a picture of merciless devastation of civilian lives and infrastructure, with women, children, and the elderly among the worst affected," the spokesman said.

The new report noted some positive developments, including the talks that resulted in the new ceasefire agreement, he said.

The OHCHR also welcomed the provisions regarding an "all-for- all" release of hostages and unlawfully detained people, the pullback of heavy weaponry from the line of contact, withdrawal of foreign armed formations, mercenaries and weapons from the territory of Ukraine, and the reinstatement of full control of the state border by the Government of Ukraine throughout the conflict area.

In late February 2014, the situation in Ukraine transcended what was initially seen as an internal Ukrainian political crisis into violent clashes in parts of the country, later reaching full- scale conflict in the east.

Despite the Minsk ceasefire, the situation in Ukraine has since continuously deteriorated, with serious consequences for the country's unity, territorial integrity and stability.

Recent media reports have suggested a potential worsening of the situation amid claims of a massive recruitment campaign by anti-government groups.

At the same time, the OHCHR observed a dangerous shift in the nature of the conflict following a series of recent deadly terrorist attacks in the cities of Kharkiv and Odessa and another suspected attack in Mariupol on Jan. 24.

The fighting has also sparked a massive outflow of refugees and displaced persons. Last month, the UN refugee agency reported at least 943,500 internally displaced persons, with Ukraine's Ministry of Social Policy on Monday counting some 980,000 people as currently internally displaced.

Moreover, more than 600,000 Ukrainians have fled the country, seeking refuge in neighboring countries, particularly Russia, but also Belarus, Moldova, Poland, Hungary and Romania, since February 2014. Endite