Since the Malaysian plane was shot down on July 17, fighting in eastern Ukraine has escalated. The violence has now spilled over into the cities and residential areas. As a result, civilian casualties are on the rise, and many people have fled their homes.
The clashes have particularly increased near the crash site, which is about 40 miles from Donetsk, making it dangerous for international teams to investigate what little remains of the downed Boeing 777 that was carrying 298 people.
A team of international police officers on Sunday had planned on searching for the evidence and the remaining victims' bodies. However, they cancelled their trip after reports of fighting in the area, which Lysenko confirmed in his press conference on Monday as well.