Moscow. October 20. INTERFAX - The Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE SMM) does not stop working in the south-east of Ukraine, patrolling in most points of Donbass is in normal mode, the Izvestia newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing the organization's press service.
"As a result of the protest in front of the hotel (Park Inn - IF) in Donetsk, where the mission participants lived, and in accordance with its security procedures, the SMM does not send patrol detachments in Donetsk. Patrolling from other SMM locations continues as normal," the mission told the publication, calling on "the parties to remove all obstacles to the freedom of movement of SMM employees."
This information was confirmed to the newspaper by the Permanent Representative of Russia to the OSCE, Alexander Lukashevich.
"The SMM patrol hub in Gorlovka also experienced difficulties in its work. Tents (of protesters - IF) are still standing in Donetsk, but as far as we know, no one physically blocks the entrance and exit of SMM employees from the Park Inn hotel. There are difficulties with going on patrol, but we really hope that they will be overcome soon," the high-ranking diplomat said.
According to Lukashevich, "Lugansk and Gorlovka are working as usual," patrolling "goes according to the approved plan."
The newspaper recalls that, according to media reports, because of the pickets of residents of Donbass, the OSCE SMM decided to curtail its activities there for security reasons. The reason for the protests was the detention by the Ukrainian military on October 13 in the area of the Pervomaisk-Zolotoye checkpoint of the observer of the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire Regime (JCCC) from the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, Andrei Kosyak.
On October 17, it became known that the Donbass militia detained two OSCE SMM officers in Horlivka, demanding the release of the Jamb. On the same day, the OSCE special monitoring mission suspended work in Donetsk in connection with a rally of DPR supporters at the entrance to the Park Inn hotel in Donetsk, where the OSCE SMM office is located.
