OSCE SMM spots trucks in forest near uncontrolled areas of border with Russia

“On the evening of 5 June, in a forested area about 2.6km east of Hlynka (60km south-east of Donetsk), an SMM long-range UAV spotted at least six trailers and trucks, and two utility vehicles, all stationary about 400m north of the international border with the Russian Federation and in an area where no official border crossing points exist,” reads the OSCE SMM daily report 135/2020 issued on 8 June 2020.

In addition, about 2km south-east of Stepne (72km south-east of Donetsk), the same UAV spotted about seven vehicles, including trucks, trailers and light utility vehicles (one truck with a running engine), all stationary near a tree line about 200m north-east of a dirt road leading out of Ukraine where no official border crossing points exist.

The OSCE SMM also informs that militants of Russian armed formations banned the Mission from monitoring at a border crossing point near Voznesenivka village. “On 7 June, at a border crossing point near Voznesenivka (formerly Chervonopartyzansk, 65km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM observed no cross-border traffic. After about five minutes, a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.”

As reported, in the previous report, the OSCE SMM to Ukraine informed about the movement of military-type trucks across the uncontrolled sections of border in the occupied areas of Luhansk region.

In particular, on 4–5 June, between 20:40 and 00:24, an SMM long-range UAV spotted a convoy of trucks entering Ukraine and another convoy exiting Ukraine on a dirt road near Cheremshyne (non-government-controlled, 59km south-east of Luhansk), near the border with the Russian Federation where there are no border crossing facilities.

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