Shelling of OSCE monitors in Donbas unacceptable - Russia's OSCE envoy
MOSCOW. Jan 22 (Interfax) - Moscow considers the shelling of monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) in eastern Ukraine to be 'unacceptable', but denies claims that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were not involved in a recent such incident in Maryinka, Russia's Permanent Representative to the OSCE, Alexander Lukashevich, has said.
"The shelling of monitors is absolutely unacceptable. We also consider allegations that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were not involved in the incident in Maryinka to be unconvincing. Attempts to use OSCE monitors' vulnerability as an argument in favor of changing the format of the international presence in Ukraine are unacceptable," Lukashevich told an OSCE session in Vienna.
The text of his speech has been published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website.
"The SMM mandate more fully meets the requirements of the situation," he said.
Moscow "supports the work of the OSCE SMM, its personnel and technical reinforcement, as well as its tighter monitoring along the contact line and the opening of new forward patrol bases," he added.
"A de-escalation requires a larger number of direct contacts between the sides on the contact line. Analysis of OSCE SMM reports shows both sides' violations in terms of shelling, the withdrawal of hardware and hampering monitors' work, including by causing jamming and firing at drones," Lukashevich said.
"There is a need for a review of the activities of extremist militarized units in Ukraine, especially those [acting] in the conflict area," he said.
"Reports about torch neo-Nazi marches are not enough," he added.