Invaders continue to deny SMM full access to certain areas of Donbas – report

The armed formations of the Russian occupation forces continue to deny the SMM full access to certain areas of the occupied Donbas.

The OSCE SMM informed this in a report, based on information received as of 19:30, August 18, 2019.

"On August 17, at a checkpoint of the armed formations near Kreminets (non-government-controlled, 16km south-west of Donetsk), three armed members of the armed formations behaved aggressively towards the SMM by shouting and displaying their weapons and denied the SMM passage through the checkpoint. They told the SMM to address their questions to senior members of the armed formations," the report says.

On the same day, at a checkpoint about 600m north of Zaichenko (non-government-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol), two armed members of the armed formations denied the SMM passage westwards to Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol) and southwards to Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol), citing demining activities in the area.

At a checkpoint west of Verkhnoshyrokivske (formerly Oktiabr, non-government-controlled, 29km north-east of Mariupol), an armed member of the armed formations denied the SMM passage to non-government-controlled areas.

On August 18, at a checkpoint west of Verkhnoshyrokivske, on two occasions, two armed members of the armed formations denied the SMM passage to non-government-controlled areas, once citing “orders from authorities due to security considerations” and once citing “engineering operations in the area.”

At a checkpoint north of the bridge in Shchastia (government-controlled, 20km north of Luhansk), Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel denied the SMM access to the bridge.

The sides continued to deny the SMM full access to disengagement areas near Zolote and Petrivske, as well as the ability to travel certain roads previously identified as important for effective monitoring by the Mission and for civilians’ movement, through failure to conduct comprehensive clearance of mines and UXO.

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