OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier has accused pro-Russian separatists of obstructing the work of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) in Donbas, Deutsche Welle has reported, referring to Zannier's interview with Die Welt posted on Tuesday.
Separatists won't allow us into the regions bordering with Russia. Instead, they often only allow OSCE monitors access to areas that suit their aims. As a result, we run the risk that our mission will be used as propaganda, Zannier said.
OSCE Secretary General also noted the hard conditions the monitors face in eastern Ukraine.
In fact, we took up the mission of 'blue helmets' without proper equipment, he added.
Source: Interfax-Ukraine