OSCE hostage freed in Sloviansk, 7 others remain captive by seperatists

On Sunday, pro-Russian separatists freed a foreign observer seized in east Ukraine, according to reports from the BBC on Monday, April 28. He was freed for medical reasons and belonged to a group of eight operating under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Eight OSCE observers were seized in Sloviansk on April 25 together with five Ukrainian militaries who guided them. Seven are still held by pro-Russian separatists in Sloviansk, while there is no information about location of five Ukrainian soldiers.

German monitor Col Axel Schneider, who spoke for the group, stressed they were not NATO officers – contrary to claims made by the separatists – nor armed fighters, but diplomats in uniforms. The foreign observers were led into Sloviansk town hall, in eastern Ukraine, by masked gunmen and shown to the media on Sunday. Germany strongly criticised the group’s appearance before the media. “The public parading of the OSCE observers and Ukrainian security forces as prisoners is revolting and blatantly hurts the dignity of the victims,” said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. He added that Russia had a duty to “influence” the separatists so that the other members of the mission could be freed as soon as possible. 

Earlier, self-declared Sloviansk Mayor Vyacheslav Ponomaryov said there was the possibility of exchanging the monitors for militia members held by the Kiev government. Russia, an OSCE member, has pledged to “take all possible steps” to secure the observers’ release.