UNITED NATIONS, February 10. /TASS/. The United Nations has called for urgently declaring a ceasefire in the east of Ukraine, which will allow evacuating civilians from the conflict zone and delivering food and medicine there, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) said in a report.
The assessment of people's needs and the situation in the disputed areas is required, the report said.
According to the UN, around 5,000 people remain in Ukraine's Debaltseve, among them are mostly families with children and elderly people. There is no electricity and water supply in the town, the report said.
The UN has expressed concern with the escalating conflict in the east of Ukraine. According to UN OCHA, at least 263 civilians died in the region from January 31 to February 5. The number of civilian casualties since the beginning of the conflict in April 2014 has now reached 5,500 people, including 59 children. More than 12,900 people have been injured, including 153 children. The UN OCHA stressed that these assessments are "very moderate."
The UN has also expressed concern about mobilization announced by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The report said that this may have a negative effect on the freedom of movement, spur corruption and smuggling.
Russia's Federal Migration Service (FMS) told TASS that the number of Ukrainian men of conscription age fleeing to Russia has increased by 20,000 in the first week of February. "There are 2.5 million Ukrainian
citizens on the territory of Russia now. Around 1.193 million of them are men of conscription age," FMS said.