EU reiterates call on Russia to return OSCE vehicles and release observers

Representatives of the European Union once again urge the Russian Federation to return more than 70 seized armored vehicles to the OSCE SMM and to immediately release the detained mission members

This is stated in an EU statement delivered during a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, Ukrinform reports.

"In recent weeks, we have been considering the issue of Russia's illegal detention of OSCE staff and the illegal movement of more than 70 armored SMM vehicles from Russia to eastern Ukraine. Let us repeat once again - these actions are illegal, irresponsible and unacceptable," the statement reads.

The EU emphasizes: Russia should "immediately and unconditionally release all arbitrarily detained OSCE staff".

The EU statement also says that Russia must return all OSCE assets to their rightful owners, all OSCE states, and prevent any misuse related to its aggressive war.

• On January 17, it became known that the LPR terrorist group had stolen the vehicles of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe mission and intended to hand them over to the Russian military. Later, it became known that the aggressor had stolen about 50 armored vehicles of the OSCE SMM and moved them to the temporarily occupied territory of eastern Ukraine.
• On January 20, the EU condemned such actions and stressed that Russia must immediately return the seized OSCE vehicles and mission members, as their use in the war against Ukraine is unacceptable.