Russia rejects expansion of OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine

The Russian Federation rejected on Oct. 22 a proposal to expand the Border Checkpoint Observation Mission of the OSCE beyond the two border checkpoints where it is currently deployed, said the U.S. Permanent Representative to the OSCE Ambassador Daniel Baer in a press release the same day. The Russian government reached this decision despite repeated requests by OSCE member and partner states. These checkpoints make up just one kilometer of hundreds that form the Russian-Ukrainian border and the OSCE chair proposed expanding the mission to additional checkpoints, the release said.

Russia also vetoed a modest increase in the number of observers, as requested by the chief observer, to reduce the excessive workload faced by the observer mission’s small working teams, the release said. “Regretfully, this continued obstruction is yet another missed opportunity for Russia to match words with action and to contribution to de-escalation,” stated Ambassador Baer. “There should be no illusions – the observer mission as it stands is inadequate.” As a result of the Russian vetoes, the OSCE Permanent Council was only able to approve on Oct. 22 a one-month extension of the existing effort, which has 16 observers working at only two checkpoints.

Baer called for the Russian government to support the full implementation of the Minsk protocol, which foresees OSCE monitoring and verification on both sides of the Ukrainian-Russian international border, as well as the creation of a security zone in the border areas of Ukraine and Russia. “Russia must also withdraw its fighters and heavy weapons from Ukraine and return all hostages, as Russia signed up to do at Minsk,” Baer said in the release.

Zenon Zawada: This latest development indicates that the Russian government wants to maintain its ability to intervene militarily in the Donbas region, where armed conflicts have calmed in the last two days. In defending the creation of the self-governing zones in Donbas, the president and his advisors explained that they expect the separatists will fail to govern effectively and will eventually surrender the territory to the Ukrainian government.

Yet in pursuing such strategies as refusing to enhance the monitoring mission, Russia is ensuring it will be able to deploy its soldiers and agents, should the separatists lose control of their zones, and prevent Ukrainian forces from retaking control. Therefore, the separatists are a mere proxy for what truly is a Russian occupation of the Donbas self-governing zones. This indicates also that the Ukrainian government won’t be able to retake control of these zones without an armed conflict with the Russian government. Moreover, Russia plans to use this proxy in the Donbas region to further destabilize the Ukrainian government.