Moscow calls on the OSCE to use all the tools of the Special Monitoring Mission to prevent escalation on the demarcation line in Donbass, while SMM observers should intensify monitoring of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ equipment and ammunition depots, Petr Ilyichev, Director of the Department of International Organizations of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
He recalled that the mandate of the mission in Ukraine, approved by the decision of the OSCE Permanent Council No. 1117 of March 21, 2014, gives it broad powers “in terms of monitoring the security situation in Donbass, as well as overseeing the observance of human and minority rights in the rest of Ukraine”.
“The problem is that the mission, apparently under the influence of Kiev and its supporters, does not always fully and reliably reflect the violations committed by the Ukrainian side in its reports. Nevertheless, we do not have a better mechanism to control the situation in the conflict zone. destructive line of Kiev and its Western partners is hardly possible”, – said Ilyichev.
He noted that in today’s realities, it is important to fully use the SMM’s tools for early warning of a possible escalation on the contact line. He said they believe that the mission should intensify monitoring of the rear of the Armed Forces, including equipment and ammunition depots, as well as railway stations through which weapons are transported.
In addition, he added, the SMM should improve the accuracy of recording and analyzing violations of the ceasefire, “especially in terms of promptly reflecting the deaths of civilians and the destruction of civilian infrastructure as a result of targeted actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces”.