"LNR" leader demands from OSCE SMM to recognize its militants as "representatives of JCCC"

Leader of the "LNR" Leonid Pasechnik demands from the OSCE SMM to recognize its militants as "representatives of the JCCC". He said this in his statement.

"It is difficult for us to find explanations for a number of actions (inaction) and conclusions of the OSCE Monitoring Mission… How can we talk about impartiality when the OSCE SMM in its reports makes a fundamental difference in the status and immunity for observers in the JCCC from Kyiv and from the LNR and DNR, naming Ukrainians representatives of the JCCC and our representatives "armed formations"?", - he was indignant, explaining the reason for dissatisfaction with the work of the Mission on the part of the occupiers.

As earlier reported, on October 13, soldiers of the AFU detained an "LNR" militant who, covering his activities with the JCCC identification marks, was conducting reconnaissance in the area of ​​the Ukrainian positions. Occupation authorities of CADLO accused the OSCE SMM of inaction, demanded the release of the militant and organized blocking of the hotel where the Mission's staff lived. In turn, the European observers explained that they had not seen the moment of the arrest. The SMM knows that the "LNR" representative in the JCCC was allegedly "taken hostage" only from the words of the leadership of the illegal armed formations.

In addition, the OSCE SMM has never said that they recognize certain representatives of the "DNR/LNR" in the JCCC. Puppet authorities of the "republics" appropriated this status after the departure of Russian officers in December 2017. The occupiers announced the creation of their own "representation offices" at the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination on ceasefire and expressed a desire to cooperate with the OSCE mission. However, officially, there are no representation offices of the terrorist "republics" in the Joint Centre. They are formally referred to by the Mission as "members of the armed formations with armbands bearing the legend "JCCC".