RIA Novosti: Nearly 1,000 Servicemen Killed in East Ukraine Hostilities: Military Prosecutor

KIEV, October 7 (RIA Novosti) – A total of 953 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and 3,627 injured since the Kiev government started a military operation to crack down on independence supporters in the east of the country, Ukraine’s chief military prosecutor said Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference, Anatolii Matios, who also serves as the country’s deputy prosecutor-general, said that five servicemen had been killed and 28 injured in the past 24 hours.

According to Matios, since a ceasefire was agreed in the Belarusian capital city of Minsk on September 5, 64 Ukrainian troops had fallen and 346 had been wounded.

In April, Kiev launched a special operation in southeast of Ukraine in an attempt to crack down on independence supporters protesting against the February regime change.

The United Nations estimates that over 3,500 civilians have lost their lives in the government clampdown. The number of casualties on both sides dropped in September following the ceasefire, although both parties have been accusing each other of violating the truce.