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A United Nations report says hostilities have been escalating in eastern Ukraine in recent months because parties to the armed conflict there have "repeatedly failed to implement cease-fire agreements."

The report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on June 13 says cease-fire violations on both Ukrainian armed forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have allowed "hostilities to escalate and claim more lives as the conflict moved into its fourth year."

The report says that since the conflict began in mid-April of 2014, at least 10,090 people have been killed -- included 2,777 civilians. It said at least 23,966 people have been injured and more than 1.6 million people displaced by the fighting.

The report says the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine recorded 36 conflict-related civilian deaths and 157 injuries from February 16 to May 15 -- a 48 percent increase on the previous three months.

It also says people continue to be abducted, unlawfully deprived of freedom, and held incommunicado -- particularly in districts controlled by Russia-backed separatists.

It also says torture has persisted, with new incidents recorded on both sides of the contact line.

The OHCHR also expresses concern that, after three years, none of the senior officials responsible for deaths during antigovernment protests in Kyiv and violence in Odesa have been brought to account.

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UN Says Ukraine Conflict Escalating Amid Cease Fire-Violations - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

Ukraine's Kazakh Embassy has lodged a protest over maps near an international energy exposition in Astana that show Ukraine's occupied Crimean Peninsula as part of Russia.

The maps are part of decorative statues on Nurzhol Boulevard outside of Expo 2017, a three-month exposition that began on June 10 with Russian President Vladimir Putin in attendance.

One statue is holding a map of Ukraine that does not include the territory of Crimea. Another holds a map of Russia that includes Crimea.

The Ukrainian Embassy wrote on Facebook on June 12 that the map of Ukraine was shown "with elements in violation of the country's territorial integrity," and the map of Russia was shown "with elements that violate Ukraine's territorial integrity."

The Ukrainian Embassy said it expected explanations from Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry.

Russia seized control of Crimea in 2014 after sending in troops and staging a referendum considered illegitimate by Ukraine and more than 100 other countries in the United Nations.

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Ukraine's Embassy In Kazakhstan Irked By Maps Showing Crimea As Russia - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

Published time: 13 Jun, 2017 18:18 Edited time: 13 Jun, 2017 18:53

Ukraines nuclear regulatory body reported smoke at one of the rooms at Unit 3 in Chernobyl, adding that it was briefly liquidated by the state emergency personnel and the radiological situation at the site has not changed following the incident.

At 15:57 pm weve received information from Chernobyl nuclear power plant about smoke in room 509 of Power Unit Three. At 16:00 the smoke was liquidated by the State Emergency Service staff, a statement issued by the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine reads.

The radiological situation in the third power unit and the stations territory has not changed, it added.

No further details were immediately available.

The Soviet-era Chernobyl nuclear power plant is known around the world for the accident, one of the worst ever, that took place there on April 26, 1986, when a failed safety experiment caused a catastrophic meltdown at the plants Reactor 4. An explosion followed, destroying the reactor and releasing large amounts of radiation into the atmosphere.

READ MORE in RT's special project CHERNOBYL: FALLOUT 30

Following the accident, a 30-square kilometer zone surrounding the NPP was evacuated and declared uninhabitable, while the large radioactive cloud spread across more than 200,000 square kilometers. The nuclear fallout contaminated large areas in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, then republics of the Soviet Union.

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Over 30 people died immediately or short-term after the accident. The total number of radiation-related deaths caused by the disaster could have amounted to about 4,000 by 2005, according to a massive study conducted by an international team of more than 100 scientists.

Following the disaster, a steel and concrete sarcophagus was constructed over the destroyed Reactor 4 to encase the dangerous area and prevent the remaining radioactive materials from getting into the atmosphere.

The sarcophagus deteriorated over time, due to extreme levels of radiation, and was deemed unrepairable by 1996. The construction of a new, internationally funded, shelter began in 2012. The giant steel radiation shield was maneuvered into place over the existing steel and concrete structures in November 2016, but construction is still under way. The replacement shield, costing 1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) and built by French consortium Novarka, is designed to withstand a tornado and has an expected lifespan of at least 100 years.

Power Unit 3 was launched in 1981 and remained operational even after the 1986 disaster. The unit was the last part of the nuclear plant to be permanently shut down in December 2000.

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Smoke detected at crippled Chernobyl power plant Ukraine nuclear watchdog - RT

Forbes

Russians Insist On New Pipeline To Bypass Ukraine, And Europeans Fine With It Forbes The Ukrainians hate this thing. European politicians and energy executives don't seem the least bit worried about it. "If this Nord Stream 2 pipeline is built, it is bad for Ukraine. Bad for Naftogaz. Russia will bypass us in the future if this gets ...

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Russians Insist On New Pipeline To Bypass Ukraine, And Europeans Fine With It - Forbes

Investors wanting to take the temperature of Ukraines reform drive could do worse than look in on state-run energy firm Naftogaz, where a battle for control underscores the obstacles hampering wider efforts to clean up the ex-communist economy.

The companys fortunes were improving after Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroismans government eliminated crippling price subsidies and a newly installed management team boosted financial performance. But recent attempts to instill stricter corporate governance have met resistance from officials desperate to maintain access to the purse strings. A feud with foreign creditors has ensued. Who wins will reveal a lot about the nations future.

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Naftogaz has long been a bellwether for Ukraines political and economic trajectory. Under ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, it embodied all the former Soviet republics ills, from inefficiency to cronyism and corruption. Three years after the countrys second pro-European revolution in a decade, it tells a story of successful reforms that could yet be squandered. At stake are billions of dollars in Western financing and a strategy for economic revival that hinges on luring back investment, even as a Russian-backed conflict simmers in the nations east.

Theres pushback -- it takes a lot of energy and a lot of determination from Naftogazs management and international financial organizations to continue pushing forward, said Francis Malige, managing director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which has lent Naftogaz $300 million. This is a flagship reform. Its on everyones radar.

Post-revolution trouble at Naftogaz emerged in 2016, when the government unexpectedly sought direct control of transportation unit UkrTransGaz. The London-based EBRD and the World Bank said the step violated pledges to separate the production, delivery and sale of gas, jeopardizing $800 million of loans. The cabinet backed down.

So-called unbundling will now begin this year. Naftogaz signed an agreement with PwC Polska Sp. z.o.o on Monday to help separate its gas-transportation business and meet European Union rules.

The latest storm is around Naftogazs independent supervisory board, created to absorb powers frommanagement and the government to bolster corporate governance. Board members positions remain subject to annual review, while the mostly foreign directors are threatening to quit after having been asked to submit asset declarations -- a tool designed to root out corruption among Ukrainian officials.

The government says it will resolve the issues and insists it wants state-run companies to use European best practices. For the first time during Ukraines independence years, the management of public companies having strategic importance will be distanced at most from political influence, Deputy Premier Volodymyr Kistion said.

Naftogazs management, which strengthened its position with a vital court win last month against Russias Gazprom PJSC, accuses the authorities of contradictingcorporate-governance recommendations issued by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Whilesupervisory board Chairman Paul Warwick sees appetite for reforms, he doesnt expect vested interests to surrender easily.

You can describe it as two steps forward, two steps back and then one step forward, he said in a phone interview. We should double our efforts to put in place those actions as quickly as possible.

International lenders arent happy. EBRD President Suma Chakrabartiwarnedthe governmentin April that one of the most meaningful reforms undertaken under your leadership is at risk of collapsing.

Officials have long been accused of using Naftogaz for personal enrichment, inserting middlemen into energy deals and other procurement to siphon off cash. A reformist minister quit last year, saying a ruling-party lawmaker tried to install an ally to oversee state enterprises.Transparency International ranksUkraine 131st-worst of 176 countries for corruption.

Ukraine won praise for raising energy prices to market level in 2016, exceeding International Monetary Fund loan conditions aimed at shoring up public finances. While it could work faster to overhaul its institutions and economy, thecommunist legacy remains an impediment, according to EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn.

In general, Im satisfied with the reform efforts, he said this month.

There have been successes beyond energy. The central bank shut down more than 80 lenders that largely served the interests of their oligarch owners, culminating withlast years nationalization of the countrys biggest. Butanti-graft opposition remains among officials.

The team running Naftogaz has done things no one three years ago would have ever dreamed possible, Nick Piazza, chief executive officer of investment bank SP Advisors in Kiev, said by email. There are elements constantly putting up roadblocks to their efforts.

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Battle at Gas Champion Exposes Struggle to Rebuild Ukraine - Bloomberg