MOSCOW, May 15. /ITAR-TASS/. Moscow wants the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the heads of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine to be more objective in covering the events in that country; track down human rights violations and promptly react to people’s requests in accordance with its mandate.

“We have called (the OSCE’s) attention to the fact how the latest events in Ukraine, especially in the country’s southeast regions, have been covered by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission,” the Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokesperson, Alexander Lukashevich, said on Thursday.

The diplomat noted that for some unknown reasons the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine had ignored the independence referendums in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions that took place on May 11.

“It is impossible to ignore such huge events, especially in a country that has seen so many important developments of late. These two regions have a total population of 7 million people. That makes 16% of Ukraine’s population. It is more than in some European countries or US states,” Lukasehvich went on to say.

The OSCE reports say nothing or just mention briefly that the Kiev authorities, militants from the Right Sector nationalist movement as well as mercenaries are using military force against the local civilian population. The OSCE Monitoring Mission also keeps silent about cases of infringement on the rights and freedoms of ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking representatives of other ethnic groups.

Lukashevich said that every day civilians were dying in Ukraine; political and public figures, including presidential candidates, were being snubbed and persecuted. Some are even receiving death threats.

“People are being subject to language and ethnic discrimination. These facts have gone unnoticed by the OSCE Mission, which perhaps simply does not want to notice them,” the Russian diplomat went on to say.

“The hushing up of obvious facts does not contribute to launching a national dialogue in accordance with the Geneva agreements,” Lukashevich said in conclusion.

 

Steps to prevent a civil war in Ukraine

The main task now is averting a civil war in Ukraine, not deciding who will recognise whom, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, May 15.

“I haven’t heard of any official request (for recognition) although there has been a lot of talk about this in mass media,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.

“It’s not about who will recognise whom. The main task is to ward off the threat of civil war in Ukraine,” he said.

“If instead of dialogue regions are offered an anti-terrorism operation, which claims more and more human lives and causes a large number of people to suffer, these people have a right to take steps towards self-organisation within certain territorial entities in Ukraine,” the spokesperson said.

“Russia’s position was and is that a broad national dialogue should be launched between Ukrainians, with international assistance, on what the future state system in Ukraine should be like. This is the main point. At the same time, we are urging the Kiev authorities to take into account the legitimate interests of regions which must be respected not only as part of this national dialogue but also when launching and promoting constitutional reform,” Lukashevich said.