skip to content

OSCE confirms team freed in east Ukraine

Date:

The OSCE team captured by pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine was freed on Saturday after more than a week of captivity in the flashpoint town of Slavyansk, the group said.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe confirmed the release of the seven European military observers on its official Twitter feed.

Earlier Russian news agencies had quoted President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy as saying that “all the 12 people who are on my list have been freed”.

It wasn’t immediately clear why the envoy, Vladimir Lukin, spoke of 12 detainees.

The original team of monitors captured on April 25 comprised eight Europeans and five Ukrainians accompanying them.

One of the Ukrainians — thought to be the driver — was swiftly released.

Later, one of the Europeans, a Swede, was freed on medical grounds as he suffers from diabetes.

“This was a goodwill humanitarian act and we are very grateful to the masters of the city,” Lukin was quoted as saying.

“We would like this to be followed by other humanitarian acts including the cessation of gunfights,” he said, adding he was hoping the conflicting parties would also sit down at the negotiating table.

The release came a day after Ukraine’s army mounted an offensive on Slavyansk that claimed at least nine lives, including four servicemen.

The West has been pushing hard for the release of the men, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying on Friday it was an “important step” in de-escalating the crisis.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share post:

Subscribe

Popular

More like this
Related

Bad Tourist Behaviour: Japan Town To Block Mt. Fuji View With Giant Barriers

When the plan was unveiled by officials last month, the locals became enraged with what they perceived as constant streams of primarily foreign tourists polluting, trespassing, and violating traffic laws

‘Lord Jagannath Bhakt Of PM Modi’: Sambit Patra’s Slip Of Tongue Sparks Row

The viral clip shows Patra in a conversation with a private Odia channel where he could be heard saying that Lord Jagannath is PM Modi's bhakt (devotee)

News Mobile Morning Brief

Maliwal Assault Case: Delhi Police Take Bibhav Kumar To...

Maliwal Assault Case: Delhi Police Take Bibhav Kumar To CM Kejriwal Residence

New Delhi: Delhi Police on Monday took Bibhav Kumar,...