Ukrainian nationalists seized around 20 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) SMM vehicles in Kramatorsk and the fate of mission staff remains unknown, the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said.

“According to operational information, Ukrainian nationalist formations, taking advantage of the evolving situation in Kramatorsk, seized about twenty vehicles of the OSCE SMM. The fate of the mission members remains unknown,” the DPR said.

It is noted that these vehicles, which bear OSCE SMM markings, “will undoubtedly be used to carry out provocations against OSCE employees, followed by accusations against the DPR.”

Earlier, the OSCE SMM stated in its daily report that monitoring teams in Donetsk and Lugansk were waiting to be evacuated through Russia. Prior to this, OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid said that she had decided to remove all members of the OSCE mission from Ukraine as soon as possible.

Last week (February 24), Russia began a special operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine, responding to calls from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics for help in countering the aggression of Ukrainian forces.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Armed Forces strike only at the military infrastructure and Ukrainian forces, nothing threatens the civilian population.

With the support of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the DPR and LPR groups are developing an offensive. But there is no talk of the occupation of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized.

Prior to that, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.

In the past weeks, the situation along the line of contact has significantly deteriorated as Ukrainian forces intensified the shelling of Donbass.

Source: Agencies