Representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics are obstructing the activities of the OSCE special monitoring mission (SMM) in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in the east of Ukraine, OSCE SMM Principal Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug has said.
He said this at a briefing in Kyiv on June 24.
Hug recounted these obstructions: restrictions on freedom of movement outside the territory controlled by Kyiv, creation of radio disturbances, shelling of the mission’s drones. These are the action aimed at preventing the implementation of the mandate of the OSCE SMM, he said.
The deputy head of the mission also said that these actions point to the fact that not all the parties to the conflict understand the nature and purpose of the mission.
According to Hug, in the past week the OSCE observers were allowed to the LPR-controlled territory only once, the other three times access was denied.
This shows that the mission is provided access only when there is nothing to show, and when militants want to hide something, the mission is denied access, he said.
The deputy head of Special Mission also noted the continuing attacks on the mission’s drones.
In addition, Hug said that at the moment the OSCE SMM has 707 observers, 596 of whom are working in the east of Ukraine.
