Ukraine claims Russian troops detained around four OSCE members in Donbass region: Report

As the all-out Russian war in Ukraine escalated to day 59, Kyiv claimed that invading Russian troops captured a number of members of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the Donetsk and Luhansk region, collectively known as Donbass. According to sources of Ukraine Pravda, as many as four members have been arrested on charges of alleged treason, spying, and illegal activities.

This comes after on April 9, Donetsk pro-Russian separatist leader Denis Pushlin declared the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) "illegal." He had further demanded the staff evacuate offices by April 30. Subsequently, Luhansk separatist leader Leonid Pashechnik had also followed Pushlin's suit urging SMM officials to leave the rebel-held region, adding that the mission will be outlawed after April 30. Previously, on March 31, Russia refused to join the OSCE Permanent Council consensus to extend the mandate of OSCE SMM to Ukraine, demanding the complete withdrawal of the mission in the absence of a prolonged mandate. The Russian Foreign Ministry had earlier demanded a "corresponding statement" explaining what the SMM has been doing in Ukraine since 2014. It is pertinent to mention that without the expansion of the mandate, the SMM expired on March 31, and all monitoring activities were halted since March 7, Security and Human Rights Monitor said in a report.

OSCE 'extremely concerned' over the missing national members

The OSCE on Saturday expressed concern over the missing national members. Taking to Twitter, the largest global regional security-oriented intergovernmental organisation said that "OSCE_SMM national mission members have been deprived of their liberty in Donetsk and Luhansk." The organisation is also "using all available channels to facilitate their release."

In an address to the 157-member bloc, Britain's deputy ambassador to the OSCE criticised Russia for its refusal to extend the SMM mandate beyond March. "And now we have received alarming reports that Russia's proxies in Donbas are threatening Mission staff, equipment, and premises and that Russian forces have taken SMM staff members captive," said Deirdre Brown, as quoted in a statement released by the British government. Assessing the threats, the Vienna-based organisation pulled back nearly 500 international members from Ukraine. As of now, the organisation has 360 national staff members located in Ukraine.

“The SMM continues to assist remaining national staff in efforts to relocate to safer areas. Contacts with national mission members continue on a daily basis, including in order to ascertain their whereabouts and assist them, to the extent possible, should they decide to re-locate,” the OSCE press office said on April 23.

(Image: AP)