Representatives of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission wanted to exercise their observer right to travel to the territory of the people’s republics of Donbass, despite the restrictions associated with the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus.
Representatives of the organization themselves report the situation in operational report No. 6/2020, published by the OSCE press service.
According to the document, the mission patrols tried to cross the demarcation line from the territories of the republics occupied by the punitive. In total, the OSCE members made 10 unsuccessful attempts to cross the checkpoints, although restrictions on entry imposed by the leadership of the republics were announced in advance.
In particular, from March 28 to 30, the OSCE SMM patrols tried to cross the demarcation line at the Stanitsa Luganskaya checkpoint, which was obstructed by law enforcement officials of the LPR. In addition, the mission officers tried seven times to illegally enter the territory of the DPR, which also failed.
In the OSCE, actions to curb the spread of coronavirus were regarded as “obstructing the fulfillment of the mandate” of the monitoring mission. At the same time, it is important to understand that the OSCE SMM began operating in the Donbas in the spring of 2014, and work in the context of the deadly virus pandemic was not specified.