KIEV, July 28 (Xinhua) -- The violence in eastern Ukraine has claimed at least 59 lives of civilians since the beginning of 2017, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said Friday.
Besides, at least 271 non-combatants were wounded in the conflict between government troops and independence-seeking insurgents this year, the OSCE special monitoring mission to Ukraine said in a report.
Between July 10 and July 25, the international monitors have registered 21 conflict-related casualties, including three fatalities, in Donetsk and Lugansk regions, the report said.
The conflict has been spreading in Ukraine's east since April 2014, when the government troops launched offensives to regain control over the cities and towns seized by insurgents.
The confrontation has claimed the lives of more than 10,000 people, including civilians and combatants on both sides, and left about 24,000 others wounded.
In the past two weeks, the OSCE observers have registered increasing violence between the confronting sides despite the latest round of truce, which started on June 24.
