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The awkward role of the OSCE in Ukraine

Article by: Nicole Gallina

There was a lot of clapping last week as Switzerland ended its OSCE-chairmanship and praised its role in Ukraine.

Sadly, there is practically zero objection in the public (and most notably German-speaking media) to those disputable claims.

Some facts on the “security” mission:

  1. The OSCE has been able to control two border crossings on the uncontrolled 400kmlong Ukrainian-Russian border strip, some 40 Meters.
  2. Russia has prevented more observers on the border and also prevented observers to travel there. The OSCE-coordinator for border questions is Alexej Lyzhenkov, a former official in the Russian foreign ministry
  3. Russia thus has been able to get all its heavy artillery, tanks, special forces, regular troops and volunteers etc. to the current cease-fire line (see sprotyv.info, the Interpreter and Conflict Reporter)
  4. Russia has been able to storm selected targets on almost a daily basis, most notably theDonetsk airport
  5. In some areas, the front has been shifted a few dozen kilometers to the west after 5 September 2014 (compare the maps of Ukrainian gains and losses from the NSDC or the Interpreter)
  6. The OSCE has not been able to enforce the cease-fire provision to control the border and the cease-fire with its drones. They finally were delivered in mid-October (six weeks after the “cease-fire”), but have practically not been used as the occupying forceshave shot at them
  7. OSCE-symbols have been misused by the occupying forces
  8. President Poroshenko claimed that out of 270 observers, only 90 are in eastern Ukraine – we do not know where the rest is (in Kyiv?)
  9. The OSCE has reportedly passed on military information to the Russian side
  10. The OSCE-mission near Mariupol has reportedly passed on military information to the Russian side (one Ukrainian adviser claimed 80% of those in the mission had a Russian  background)
  11. The OSCE has published reports discrediting Ukraine (i.e. shelling a Donetsk school – the shells most probably came from the occupying forces)
  12. Ukrainian soldiers have claimed they were shelled after visits of the OSCE.
  13. The mission largely exludes Ukraine. Ukraine is not allowed to have representatives in the mission – instead it favors the aggressor: Russia. The country has representatives in its own country contingent (10%) and potentially in the contingents of other post-Soviet, eastern European, and German-speaking countries. The OSCE has not published a list on how the mission is combined (they only stated that they prefer “Russian-speaking“)
  14. Propaganda is essential to the Russian side. OSCE’s ‚senior press assistant‘ Irina Gudyma is a Russian national
  15. The OSCE-representative for the issue of human trafficking Kazakhstan’s Madina Jarbusynova, used an appearance on Ukrainian TV to spread a false claim by the Russian state media of Ukrainian atrocities including “organ-trafficking”

What have been the advantages for Ukraine of the OSCE being there?

Next, the OSCE-chairmanship is going to Serbia that has not supported the western sanctions and has a clear pro-Russian line – hightime to kindly ask the OSCE to leave Ukraine!

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January 10 – Canadian ship MSC Eloise carrying humanitarian aid for Ukrainian army has docked in the port of Odesa.

January 10 – In Luhansk region Russian terrorists have kidnaped an Israeli citizen. Sievierodonetsk City Militia Department has received a request (by post) from the Embassy of Israel to assist in tracing and locating a citizen of Israel David Horovaty, who was falsely imprisoned in Ukraine and transported to the city of Perevalsk against his will (the city is controlled by the terrorists) – statement by the Ministry of Interior.

January 10 – In the Donetsk region close to the town of Dokuchaevsk, ATO forces disabled two tanks of the militants, – informs ATO staff.

January 10 – Ukrainian Competition Commission has allowed foreigners to apply for the position of the Head of National Anti-Corruption Bureau.

January 10 – German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stressed the unlawfulness of violating international borders and called for unity of Europe due to a possible threat to its security: "If again we witness such a violation, similar to what Russia has done in Ukraine, we must resist it".

January 10 – Having started at 7 am, illegal armed groups have 34 times opened fire on positions of Ukrainian troops, using mostly heavy weapons – tanks, artillery, including "Grad" multiple rocket launcher, – ATO press center.

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According to the data of the journalists, the position from which the Boeing was being fired upon, was delivered by the members of the 53rd zenith-rocket brigade, with the goal of providing protection to the Russian tank divisions, who were fighting on Ukrainian territory without their codes of identification.

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The photographer of the French magazine Paris Match took pictures of the moving automobile. He was close and caught the side part of the BUK – its identification number and other identity signs carelessly painted over. On the truck platform company with the BUK, there was a telephone number. It belongs to a company in Donetsk which leases automobiles. The owner of the company later informed that his machine was stolen in June by pro-Russian separatists," – it was reported in the investigation.

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