Ukraine Health Ministry: 270 Dead in Eastern Offensive

The Ukrainian Health Ministry has issued a statement reporting at least 270 people have died in the ongoing fighting in eastern Ukraine, with 225 killed in Donetsk and 45 killed in Luhansk.

The ministry said 15 women and 14 children were among the slain. This overall toll is far lower than Ukraine’s military has claimed, as at one point they claimed 300 killed in 24 hours.

The Health Ministry seemed open to the idea their figure was an undercount, saying it only included people brought to Health Ministry facilities and morgues, and not any bodies that may have been removed by rebel fighters.

The offensive continues, primarily centered around Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, neighboring cities in Donetsk’s north. Reports from Slovyansk suggest most of the civilians have fled after weeks of shelling.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.