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OSCE mission to Ukraine says situation in eastern Ukraine is tense

On 8 November, returning from a patrol to Kramatorsk, two SMM members were held at a Ukrainian checkpoint in Karlivka

VIENNA, November 10. /TASS/. Observers from the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said in a regular daily report on Monday the situation in eastern Ukraine remained tense, with ongoing episodes of the use and movement of weapons.

“On 8 November, returning from a patrol to Kramatorsk, two SMM members were held at a Ukrainian checkpoint in Karlivka (38 kilometres north-west of Donetsk). All their identification documents were taken by Ukrainian servicemen. According to the servicemen, the SMM monitors were supposed to show documentation which would allow them to pass the area where the “Anti-Terrorism Operation” (“ATO”) is being conducted. After 2.5 hours both SMM members were allowed to leave the checkpoint and returned to base,” the SMM said in the report over the past weekend.

Apart from that, the SMM reported about a convoy of “truck and tankers moving west” of Donetsk, with no “marking or number plates.” There SMM monitors make no assumption whether these vehicles belonged to the Ukrainian army or the Donetsk militias.

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