Military logic in eastern Ukraine should be replaced by civilian one, says OSCE SMM Principal Deputy Chief Monitor

It is necessary to replace the military logic that still dominates in eastern Ukraine with the civilian one, said Alexander Hug, the Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, after his visits to Marinka, Telmanove and Kominternove on 17 February 2016.

While patrolling in Kominternove, SMM monitors saw armed individuals in the village. As Hug described it, the monitors found many houses abandoned, some occupied by armed members of the so-called “DPR”.  Also in other places, the military encroaches on civilian institutions. “A wing of Telmanove hospital, for instance, continues to be used for non-civilian purposes,” said Hug.

Hug also visited the checkpoint near Marinka to monitor freedom of movement for civilians. Despite the checkpoint being closed, the monitors observed cars and people queuing. The head of the civil-military administration in Marinka informed the monitors that the shelling was heard every night in the town. “It is up to both sides to ensure the security of civilians. They must disengage in the area so that people can get back to their normal lives,” Hug emphasized.