The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns provocations, regularly carried out by Russia and its militants against monitors of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine for the purpose of making its effective activities impossible. 

The thematic report of the SMM “Restrictions to SMM’s freedom of movement and other impediments to fulfilment of its mandate” of August 23, 2016, covering the period of January - June 2016, confirmed yet again unwillingness of Kremlin and its proxies to comply with the Minsk Agreements and facilitate de-escalation of the situation on the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas.

According to the report, almost all restrictions to the SMM’s freedom of movement occurred in the certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions not controlled by the Government of Ukraine.   

We urge Russia and Russia-supported militants to halt barefaced attempts to intimidate OSCE monitors, ensuring instead for the OSCE SMM secure and unhampered access to the whole temporarily occupied territory of the certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including the section of the Ukrainian-Russian border not controlled by Ukraine.