REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KIEV -- The Ukrainian government estimated that at least 68 children have been killed and 176 wounded since the start of the armed conflict in eastern regions in April 2014, the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Elena Zerkal said on Friday.
As the result of hostilities in Donetsk and Lugansk regions, at least 1,086 children have been left orphaned and 150,000 others were forced to flee their homes in the restive areas, she was quoted by Interfax-Ukraine news agency as saying.
"The World Health Organization and other organizations believe that the true number of dead is far higher," she said.
The humanitarian situation in the region is further deteriorating, Zerkal said, adding that the United Nations and other international organizations should be allowed full access to the conflict-torn areas to "prevent further suffering by children."
The 14-month-old armed confrontation between government troops and pro-independence insurgents in eastern Ukraine has killed more than 6,400 people and displaced about 1.3 million of others.
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