UN reports continuing sporadic fighting in Ukraine's Donetsk

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that sporadic fighting continues at Donetsk airport as well as in Shyrokyne, Avdiivka and Shastia, forcing many civilians to seek refuge in underground shelters, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said here Tuesday.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Social Policy has registered some 1.3 million people as internally displaced," Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here. "This is an increase of about 44,000 people over the past three weeks."

"The number of people fleeing Ukraine for neighboring countries is also on the rise," the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported that about 857,000 Ukrainians have sought asylum, residence permits or other forms of legal stay in neighboring countries, an increase of about 23,000 people over the past two weeks.

"Access to healthcare services is severely constrained across the east and in non-government controlled areas in particular, because of lack of medicine and medical equipment," he said. " There is an increased burden over healthcare facilities because of the influx of displaced families."

In early May, the Ukrainian military said fierce fighting has flared up again in the restive eastern regions ahead of new round of peace talks in Minsk, in the Belarus capital.

"The situation in the conflict zone has worsened," spokesman Andriy Lysenko said, adding that five government troops were killed in clashes with pro-independence militants on May 5.

The militants, on the other hand, said government forces fired at their positions 60 times during the same period. Endite