Over 824,000 people displaced by Ukraine conflict: UN

More than 824,000 people have been displaced by the conflict in eastern Ukraine, including 430,000 within the country, according to a UN report obtained here Friday.

"Ongoing fighting in the east, and the resulting breakdown of basic services, continues to drive more people from their homes," the report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stated.

According to the document, the number of people displaced inside Ukraine has increased by 170,000 since early September, Xinhua reported.

From the beginning of the violence in mid-April, around 387,000 Ukrainian residents have crossed into Russia, while 6,600 more people have applied for asylum in European Union countries, the report said.

Meanwhile, 581 Ukrainian citizens have applied for refugee status in Belarus, it said.

According to another UN report, at least 3,700 people have been killed and more than 9,000 others wounded in the Ukraine crisis as of Oct 18.

The Ukrainian government started its military operation in the eastern part of the country April 15 in an attempt to retake control of the cities and towns seized by the insurgents, who declared independence from Kiev.