II. RIGHTS TO LIFE, LIBERTY, SECURITY, AND PHYSICAL INTEGRITY B.Casualties Intensified fighting, including the use of heavy weaponry (artillery, tanks, rockets and missiles), in the east of Ukraine continued to cause considerable loss of life among civilians as well as members of the Ukrainian armed forces and armed groups. During the reporting period, the fighting lines moved to the suburbs of Donetsk and Luhansk cities, and a number of other settlements, such as Avdiyivka, Debaltsevo, Horlivka, Snizhne, Stepanivka and Yasynuvata in the Donetsk region, and Pervomaisk in the Luhansk region, became arenas of fighting. There have been numerous reports alleging the indiscriminate use of weapons, such as artillery, mortars and multiple rocket launcher systems, in and around the densely populated areas. Ukrainian officials have reiterated that the Ukrainian armed forces never target populated areas. These officials suggest that all reported cases of such targeting should be attributed to the armed groups only. However, in those urban settlements which have been controlled by the armed groups and insistently attacked by the Ukrainian armed forces, responsibility for at least some of the resulting casualties and damage to civilian objects lies with the Ukrainian armed forces. On the other hand, the armed groups are locating their military weaponry within or near densely populated areas, and launching attacks from such areas. This constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law by the armed groups. However, such actions by the armed groups do not absolve the Ukrainian armed forces of the need to respect their obligations under international law, including upholding the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack. As a result of intensified hostilities, there has been an escalation in the number of casualties which has more than doubled in total since the last report. By a very conservative estimate of the HRMMU and the World Health Organization (WHO), based on the best data available, at least 1,200 people have been killed, and at least 3,250 have been wounded in east Ukraine between 16 July and 17 August. On average, at least 36 people have been killed and 98 have been wounded every day during this period. In total, since mid-April, and as of 17 August, at least 2,220 people (including at least 23 children) have been killed and at least 5,956 (including at least 38 children) have been wounded in the fighting in eastern Ukraine. This includes civilians, personnel of the Ukrainian forces and some members of the armed groups (for whom no separate casualty figure is known). This overall figure does not include the 298 people killed in the crash of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH-17 on 17 July. According to the Council for National Security and Defence (RNBO), casualties within the Ukrainian armed forces comprised, at least, 618 killed and 2,302 wounded as of 17 August. According to the reports by civil medical establishments on the number of people delivered to hospitals and morgues, and by local administrations, casualties among civilians and armed groups include, at least, 949 killed and 1,727 wounded in the Donetsk region, and, at least, 653 killed and 1,927 wounded in the Luhansk region. The actual number of fatalities due to the violence and fighting in the east of Ukraine is probably much higher. Indeed, casualties in the areas controlled by the armed groups have been underreported for two major reasons. First, although many of the hospitals continue to work, insecurity has prevented people from seeking medical aid. Second, many of those killed have been buried without being taken to morgues or bureaus of forensic expertise. In addition, communications have frequently been disrupted. There are also allegations that bodies of some members of the armed groups killed in action have been taken to the territory of the Russian Federation. 202 | P a g e