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Schools were damaged in Nikishine while being used by rebel fighters between September 2014 and February 2015 Picture: Yulia Gorbunova Human Rights Watch

Hundreds of聽schools in eastern Ukraine have been attacked by both Ukrainian聽government forces and their Russian-backed militant opponents in聽the past two years, forcing many of them to close, according to .

Schools on both sides of the line of contact which separates聽the combatants have been hit and many, especially in聽rebel-controlled areas, remain too damaged to reopen, HRW said yesterday.

Both sides have deployed forces in and near schools, turning聽them into military targets. Even schools that were not being聽occupied have been attacked, the rights organisation said in its report titled .

鈥淐ivilians, including children, on both sides of the line of聽contact have been bearing the brunt of this protracted war,鈥澛爏aid Yulia Gorbunova, Ukraine researcher at HRW.

鈥淎ll parties to the conflict have a responsibility to聽protect children and to make sure that their hostilities don鈥檛聽cause further harm to their safety and education,鈥� Gorbunova聽added.

School Number 42 in Vuhlehirsk was struck six times in January and February 2015 Picture: Yulia Gorbunova/Human Rights Watch

More than 9000 soldiers and civilians have been killed聽since the conflict broke out in April 2014, when pro-Russian聽separatists rose up following Russia鈥檚 seizure of Ukraine鈥檚聽Crimea region.聽Fighting continues despite a year-old ceasefire agreement.

Last week the head of the Organization for Security and聽Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which monitors implementation of聽the ceasefire deal, voiced deep concern over escalating violence聽in eastern territories.

When military forces occupied schools, they often destroyed聽school furniture and equipment and left behind heavy artillery聽or unused munitions, HRW said.

In one case, HRW researchers found undetonated landmines in聽the school grounds, apparently thrown off a supply truck while聽it was parked in the schoolyard.

Progress has been made in repairing and reopening damaged聽schools, particularly in government-controlled areas of Luhansk聽and Donetsk regions, thanks in large part to leadership by聽parents and teachers, HRW said.

But local authorities and school administrators in many聽places told researchers the risk of renewed fighting made them聽reluctant to fund or carry out school renovations.

Students from School Number 2 in Stanytsia Luhanska have to attend classes in a small building after their school was destroyed in August 2014 Picture: Bede Sheppard/Human Rights Watch

Ukrainian authorities do not recognise school documents聽issued in rebel-held areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, so聽some parents in rebel-held areas send their children to schools聽in areas under government control, HRW said.

The journey across the line of control is slow because of聽travel restrictions imposed by the Ukrainian government and can聽be dangerous, due to sporadic shelling and the presence of聽mines, HRW said.

鈥淭eachers and parents on both sides of the contact line have聽shown tremendous commitment to continue children鈥檚 education聽despite the war,鈥� Gorbunova said.

聽鈥淭he warring parties should also do a lot more to avoid聽irreparably harming children鈥檚 safety and education,鈥� she added.

The researchers visited 41 schools and kindergartens between聽September and November 2015, in both government-controlled areas聽and territory controlled by Russia-backed militants.聽聽聽

NOTE: Attacks on education across the world have been increasing in recent years. Students, teachers and school buildings have been attacked in more than 70 countries in recent years 鈥� by armed groups, state soldiers and criminal gangs.

To counteract this, more than 50 countries have now signed the . It commits them to protect education from attack and to use the .

The , the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, covers humanitarian news, women鈥檚 rights, corruption and climate change.