"DPR" militants attacked OSCE observers in Horlivka, - Hug

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reports a spike in violence in Horlivka (the Donetsk region) and nearby settlements.

Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine Alexander Hug said, Censor.NET reports citing Ukraіnskі Novyny.

A significant increase in violence has been recently recorded in Horlivka with the last week seeing its highest level, Hug said. According to him, SMM observers were threatened in this town: they were forced out of the car and put on the ground at the gunpoint.

The militants behaved rudely and threatened the observers' security, he stated. Hug said the attack was committed by representatives of the "Donetsk People's Republic." He called the attack a challenge to SMM's mandate granted by 57 OSCE member states.

According to him, in the period Jan. 5-11, observers were 22 times restricted in their movement, with most cases having occurred in the temporarily occupied territory.

Hug also said 662 people worked within the mission, including 547 in the east of Ukraine.