Ukraine conflict death toll rises above 3,000, says UN
True death toll is likely to be higher than figure announced by UN human rights official that includes victims of MH17 plane crash
The number of people confirmed killed since April tops 3,000 if the 298 passengers and crew on the Mayalsia Airlines flight are included. Photograph: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters
Agencies in Vienna and Mariupol
Monday 8 September 2014
The number of people confirmed killed in the Ukraine conflict has risen above 3,000 if the victims of the MH17 plane crash are included, a senior UN human rights official said on Monday.
Ivan Simonovic, the UN assistant secretary general for human rights, said the number of people confirmed killed in fighting since the conflict erupted in April was now 2,729 but rose to over 3,000 if the 298 passengers and crew on the Malaysia Airlines flight were included, which he said they should be, though the true figure could be much higher.
"This number includes killings registered based on available resources and … the actual number may be significantly higher," he told an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation inEurope (OSCE).
MH17 crashed after apparently being struck by a missile over eastern Ukraine on 17 July. Washington and Kiev accused Russia-backed rebels of shooting down the jetliner with an advanced Russian missile system in the mistaken belief it was a Ukrainian military plane. Russia and the rebels denied the accusation.
The European Union will press ahead with implementing new sanctions on Russia despite a shaky ceasefire in Ukraine, the European Commission said on Monday.
"The package is due to be formally implemented by the member states through a written procedure later today," spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde-Hansen told reporters.
Details of the fresh economic sanctions, including against oil company Rosneft and units of gas producer Gazprom, are to be announced on Tuesday at the latest.
The Russian prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, said in an interview published on Monday that Moscow would respond to new sanctions over Ukraine, possibly preventing flights over Russia, if the US and EU press on with "the temptation to use force in international relations".
The ceasefire struck between Ukrainian government forces and the rebels was largely holding on Monday, although Kiev accused the rebels ofsporadic violations overnight, especially near the port of Mariupol.
The ceasefire, which took effect on Friday evening, is part of a peace roadmap intended to end the five-month conflict that has caused the sharpest confrontation between Russia and the west since the cold war.
"Overall the ceasefire held even though it is still shaky," Thomas Greminger, the current chair of the OSCE, said, adding the next days would be crucial. The OSCE has about 250 monitors in Ukraine.
Ukraine's president, Petro Poroshenko, visited Mariupol on Monday in a symbolic show of strength that underscored Kiev is unlikely to willingly loosen what remains of its grip over the east. Mariupol, a port on the Sea of Azov near the Russian border, is vital for Ukraine's steel exports. A message said on his official Twitter account said the city "was Ukraine".
The area to the east of Mariupol was the scene of fierce fighting before the ceasefire and it also saw the most serious violation of the truce to date on Saturday night, when government forces said they came under artillery attack by the rebels. A woman was killed and four people injured.
The Ukrainian military's press centre listed five rebel violations of the ceasefire accord overnight into Monday, while the separatists accused government forces of preparing to storm a town near rebel-held Donetsk, the region's industrial hub.
Both the rebels and the Ukrainian military insist they are strictly observing the ceasefire and blame their opponents for any violations.
