U.S. Embassy calls on Russia to end illegal restrictions on OSCE activities in Donbas

17.04.2020 12:08

Ukrinform

The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine has called on Russia to end illegal restrictions on the movements of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, which plays a vital role in preserving stability in eastern Ukraine.

U.S. Charge d'Affaires, ai Kristina Kvien said this in a video address on Facebook.

She noted that SMM members are working under challenging circumstances to preserve regional stability and they continue to do so today despite the health risks of COVID-19.

At the same time, Kvien said that recently, the SMM has faced new and unacceptable challenges. The diplomat noted that Russian-influenced media falsely claim the SMM was responsible for the spread of COVID-19 in eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia and its proxies have increased restrictions on the movements of SMM monitors, she said.

In this context, Kvien said that Russia and its proxies are not just harming the SMM's work, but they are harming the people of eastern Ukraine and preventing the flow of humanitarian goods.

"We call on Russia to cease its destabilizing behavior, to adhere to its international agreements and to immediately withdraw from the Ukrainian territory. And we express our firm support for the critically important work of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission," Kvien said.

On April 14 and 15, Russian-backed forces again denied OSCE SMM patrols passage at checkpoints along official crossing routes.

On the afternoon of April 14, at a checkpoint near Horlivka, an SMM patrol travelling from government-controlled areas was unable to proceed into non-government-controlled areas due to spikes laid across the entire road, and the presence of a mine sign in the middle of the road.

On April 14 and 15, at the checkpoint of the armed formations south of Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (15km north-east of Luhansk), members of the armed formations denied SMM patrols passage into government-controlled areas, referring to quarantine restrictions due to COVID-19.

With regard to COVID-19, the SMM has introduced a number of stringent mitigation measures into its operational procedures. These include strict adherence to social distancing rules both internally and with external interlocutors, daily temperature checks, use of PPE, and minimizing the number of personnel in vehicles.