The Russian Federation opposed the extension of the mandate of the OSCE mission at two border checkpoints in Donbass. Kyiv believes that weapons and mercenaries will be transported through them • Novaya Gazeta • RIMA

The Russian Federation opposed the extension of the mandate of the OSCE mission at two border checkpoints in Donbass. Kyiv believes that weapons and mercenaries will be transported through them

Russia opposed the extension of the mandate of the OSCE border observer mission at the Gukovo and Donetsk checkpoints on the border with Donbass after September 30, 2021. This was reported on the website of the US Mission to the OSCE.

“The current Russian objection to the renewal of the mandate of the OSCE Border Monitoring Mission is yet another item in a long list of broken promises and another demonstration that maintaining positive relations with neighbors is not a priority,” the statement . said

Chargé d'Affaires of the US Mission to the OSCE Courtney Ostrian said she regretted Russia's refusal to join the consensus on extending the mandate of the observer mission. The mission was fulfilling the agreed mandate effectively and professionally, Ostrian added.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has stated that it strongly condemns Russia's intention not to renew the mandate of the OSCE Observer Mission at Russian border points.

“We consider this decision of the Russian Federation as evidence of its plans to continue and increase the supply of weapons, military equipment, ammunition, regular troops and mercenaries to the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which could lead to further escalation in the zone of the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict,” noted in the Foreign Ministry.

Ensuring transparency on the Russian-Ukrainian border, as emphasized by the Ukrainian authorities, is an essential prerequisite for resolving the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict.

The mandate of the OSCE border observer mission at the Gukovo and Donetsk checkpoints has been in effect since July 2014 at the initiative of Moscow itself.

The situation in the Donetsk region escalated again this spring, when Kyiv reported shelling near the village of Shumy. Later, satellite images of the Russian military camp appeared in the media, which, presumably, was set up near Voronezh, 250 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. The Kremlin assured that the movement of Russian troops "should not bother anyone", and Peskov explained the movement of troops by "increased activity of the armed forces of NATO countries" along the Russian borders.