Security and safety of the unarmed civilian monitors of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine – and of the wider civilian population in eastern Ukraine – must be prioritized by the sides to the conflict. This was reported by the Chief Monitor of the OSCE SMM to Ukraine, Ertugrul Apakan, according to the organization’s press service.
"What is needed are not more promises, but for those who have already made promises to make good on them, without excuses and without delay," Apakan said.
He noted that less than three weeks passed after an OSCE SMM patrol member was killed, and two other members were injured, when their vehicle hit an explosive device.
Apakan also stressed that the Mission took mitigation measures in order to protect “the men and women who bravely continue their work in a high-risk and unpredictable security situation.” Measures limit patrolling to asphalt and concrete surfaces.
