950,000 children affected by conflict in eastern Ukraine

The armed conflict, which rages in eastern Ukraine for almost three years, has taken its toll on some 950,000 children, an official from the presidential administration said on Friday.

"Up to date, around one in eight of Ukrainian children have been affected by the conflict in the east," Mykola Kuleba, the President's commissioner for children's rights, told reporters.

The months of violence have endangered the lives of some 100,000 children living near the frontline of fighting and forced about 250,000 others to flee their homes, Kuleba said.

He added that some 600,000 children are still residing in the conflict-torn territories, which are controlled by independence-seeking insurgents.

According to the government's estimates, at least 68 Ukrainian children were killed in the crossfire between government troops and rebels, while 186 others were wounded since April 2014.

Besides, 80 children were on board the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which crashed in eastern Ukraine in July 2014, leaving no survivors.

source: Xinhua