OSCE confirms team freed in Ukraine

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe has confirmed the release of the seven European military observers held hostage in Ukraine.

The OSCE team captured by pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine has been freed after more than a week of captivity in the flashpoint town of Slavyansk, the group says.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe confirmed the release of the seven European military observers on its official Twitter feed.

Earlier, Russian news agencies had quoted President Vladimir Putin's special envoy as saying that "all the 12 people who are on my list have been freed".

It wasn't immediately clear why the envoy, Vladimir Lukin, spoke of 12 detainees.

The original team of monitors captured on April 25 comprised eight Europeans and five Ukrainians accompanying them.

One of the Ukrainians - thought to be the driver - was swiftly released.

Later, one of the Europeans, a Swede, was freed on medical grounds as he suffers from diabetes.

"This was a goodwill humanitarian act and we are very grateful to the masters of the city," Lukin was quoted as saying.

"We would like this to be followed by other humanitarian acts, including the cessation of gunfights," he said, adding he was hoping the conflicting parties would also sit down at the negotiating table.

The release came a day after Ukraine's army mounted an offensive on Slavyansk that claimed at least nine lives, including four servicemen.

The West has been pushing hard for the release of the men, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying on Friday it was an "important step" in de-escalating the crisis.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world