HIGHLIGHTS
- 20 civilians were killed and 122 injured in eastern Ukraine’s conflict area in June and July
- Humanitarian partners respond to needs at the checkpoints
- IDP verification continues to be a concern
- WFP estimates that 1.1 million people in eastern Ukraine remain food insecure
Civilian casualties in Ukraine hit one year record
The level of violence in the conflict area in eastern Ukraine remained high throughout July.
Numerous ceasefire violations caused civilian casualties and damages to critical civilian infrastructure. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded 73 conflict-related civilian casualties (8 fatalities and 65 injuries) in July, even more than in June when 69 casualties (12 killed and 57 injured) were recorded, the highest number of casualties in a single month since August 2015. The average monthly civilian casualties recorded in June and July were twice as high as in September 2015 to May 2016, when 34 casualties on average were recorded.
Shelling has become the major cause of civilian casualties in recent weeks, as it occurs more frequently during the day and in populated areas. Landmines and explosive remnants of war, responsible for the majority of civilian casualties during periods of relative calm, are now the second most important cause of casualties. Since the beginning of the conflict, 22,137 people have been wounded and 9,553 killed, some 2,000 of the fatalities were civilians.
Urban areas such as the suburbs of Donetsk city, the towns of Yasynuvata and Dokuchaievsk (NGCA), Marinka and Avdiivka (GCA) have become the scene of frequent and heavy shelling. However, fighting also occurred in numerous places along the contact line, including in the vicinity of checkpoints. Luhanska oblast witnessed a significant increase in combat activity, particularly in the Popasnianskyi raion.