Ukrainian Crisis: Armed Men Hold Up OSCE Observers

Shortly before these reports, the Hungarian Ministry of Defence informed Hungarian News Agency MTI that the mission, led by a Hungarian lieutenant-colonel, had arrived in Crimea at noon.

“They are stuck but they are not turning back" – a Western diplomatic source informed French news agency AFP. „They are not being allowed in (Crimean area) by two groups of armed people – very professional, very well-trained", the diplomat said. He reported that the observers had been stopped at a checkpoint on the way to Crimea at 11 a.m. CET.

The Polish Minister of National Defence told journalist that “the mission has been detained" by “unidentified armed men in military fatigues". He told them that the members of the delegation “landed in Odessa, and they were traveling by car from Odessa towards the Crimean Peninsula", when they were stopped by armed men.

According to information released by the Hungarian Ministry of Defence, the 42-member unarmed military observer mission of OSCE is led by a Hungarian soldier, Lt.-Col. Gábor Ács. The contingent – which includes two Hungarian senior officers – has been invited by Ukraine and has the mission of verifying compliance with arms control agreements in Ukrainian military facilities under the provisions of the Vienna Document of OSCE.

According to OSCE’s latest update on Friday, “twenty-two OSCE Participating States have sent up to two representatives each", and “one representative from the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre is also participating". The visit is taking place under Chapter III of the Vienna Document 2011 (an OSCE agreement consisting of confidence and security building measures (CSBM)), which allows for “voluntary hosting of visits to dispel concerns about unusual military activities", to be carried out by OSCE experts in any member state. The present visit has been requested by Ukraine. This is the first time that OSCE has been conducting such a mission under the terms of the agreement quoted above.

On Wednesday, March 6 UN envoy Robert Serry was forced to leave the Crimean Peninsula, after being held up by armed men who made him seek refuge in a café and surrender himself.