Four-month fighting in eastern Ukraine kills 570 troops

Nearly 570 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed during four months of incessant fighting between government troops and pro-Russia forces in the volatile east regions of the country.

Ukraine’s security spokesman, Andriy Lysenko, said on Monday that 568 government forces have been killed in the conflict which has also left another 2,120 servicemen wounded.

The Red Cross has classed the fierce conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia activists as a civil war.

Lysenko said six soldiers have been killed during the past 24 hours as government forces tighten the noose around the eastern cities of Donetsk and Lugansk.

The United Nations has said more than 1,300 people have been killed in the fighting.

The ongoing violence has also forced thousands of civilians to abandon their homes. Local authorities have warned of a looming humanitarian crisis as water, food and fuel supplies have dried up in the eastern regions.

Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking regions in the east have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since the government in Kiev launched military operations in mid-April.

The fighting has intensified since July 17, when a Malaysian airliner carrying 298 people on board was downed in the Donetsk region with Kiev and pro-Russians accusing each other of being behind the tragedy.

A United Nations official warned earlier this week that the humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine is getting worse on a daily basis as the war between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russians rages on.