Death toll from Ukraine clashes reaches 181: Official

The death toll from fresh clashes between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine has reached 181, Ukraine’s acting prosecutor general says.

“On the whole, 181 people were killed, including 59 servicemen; and another 293 were injured in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions,” Oleg Makhnytsky said at a press conference, which was held on Tuesday.

The Kiev authorities are currently investigating 675 protest-related criminal cases, he added.

The prosecutor general also noted that over 220 people, including 12 foreign citizens, have been reportedly abducted so far in Lugansk and Donetsk provinces.

On May 12, Donetsk and Luhansk declared independence following local referendums, in which the regions’ residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Kiev.

Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking parts in the east have been the scene of deadly clashes between pro-Moscow forces and the Ukrainian army for weeks now. On June 2 alone, at least 10 people, including several civilians, were killed during Kiev’s military operations in Lugansk.

The acting Kiev government has been staging military operations in the eastern and southern provinces since mid-April in a bid to root out the pro-Russia demonstrations.