OSCE coordinator meets with Ukrainian captives in occupied Donbas

Ukraine's representative in the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group for Donbas Iryna Gerashchenko wrote this on her Facebook page.

"Over the last few days, the OSCE Coordinator in the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Toni Frisch visited prisons in the territory of Ukraine and in the occupied territory of Donbas. According to preliminary information, in the occupied territories, Ambassador Frisch was able to meet with several military men from the priority list that we submitted with a request to visit and support our guys. A positive moment was that for the first time in all these years he was given the opportunity to talk with our guys tete-a-tete, without prison servants and "representatives" - this is really important for us," Gerashchenko said.

At the same time, she clarifies that the situation in the occupied Luhansk region is particularly alarming, where several Ukrainian military men are completely isolated. This again makes us suggest that they are tortured, that's why they are hid.

On the other hand, Gerashchenko says that the Ukrainian side gave an opportunity for the ambassador to meet "with those convicted of grave crimes against the sovereignty and territorial integrity, who he asked about."

Gerashchenko stresses that Ukraine welcomes the visit of Ambassador Frisch to the occupied Donbas and defends the position that international organizations and their representatives are obliged to take more active position regarding the release of hostages and an access to illegally detained persons.

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