You're reading: Donetsk People’s Republic threatens OSCE observers with shooting, refuses unescorted entry – report

OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) observers were trying to agree on prolonging the ceasefire in Shyrokyne to clear unexploded munitions from the Ukrainian controlled part of the town but the so-called Donetsk People's Republic threatened to shoot them, reads the mission's report which was posted on March 28.

According to the report on March 27, the SMM patrol went through the northern part of Shyrokyne and got to a checkpoint controlled by the Donetsk People’s Republic on the E-58 highway. The observers met with a Donetsk People’s Republic “commander” in Shyrokyne.

“The “commander” behaved aggressively towards the SMM and said that this would be the last SMM patrol to the “Donetsk People’s Republic” side of the village, and that the SMM would be shot at if they attempted to return,” reads the report.

With regards to the ceasefire proposal, he agreed to hold fire as long as his positions would not be fired upon. The “commander” escorted the SMM to Novoazovsk where his superior joined the convoy until the border with Russia. The higher ranking “commander” added that the SMM would need a “Donetsk People’s Republic” escort if it planned to re-enter “Donetsk People’s Republic” controlled territory.

The commander, who initially had threatened the SMM, said that he would only allow the SMM in the eastern part of Shyrokyne upon receiving specific instructions from his superior.