2018-10-26T15:29:00+03:00 Politics 2024-09-15T11:11:30+03:00

Ukrainian news

Foreign Policy Magazine Removes From Interview With Hug His Words That OSCE Has Not Seen Direct Evidence Of Ru

Foreign Policy Magazine Removes From Interview With Hug His Words That OSCE Has Not Seen Direct Evidence Of Russian Involvement In Eastern Ukraine

The U.S. magazine Foreign Policy removed from an interview with Alexander Hug, the first deputy chief monitor of the Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE SMM), his words that the OSCE had not seen direct evidence of Russian involvement in eastern Ukraine.

This is said in the remarks following the text of the interview on the website of the magazine, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"Clarification, October 25, 2018: In an earlier version, Hug stated that OSCE had not seen direct evidence of Russian involvement in eastern Ukraine. We have removed this remark, as it did not convey his intended view. He goes on to cite facts and observations that his monitors have recorded," the magazine said.

When asked about the OSCE’s official stance on Russia’s involvement in Eastern Ukraine Hug stated, according to the earlier version of the interview, that the OSCE had not seen direct evidence of Russian involvement in eastern Ukraine.

"If the question is what we have seen on the ground, we have not seen direct evidence (of Russian involvement). We have seen convoys leaving and entering Ukraine on dirt roads in the middle of the night, in areas where there is no official crossing. In one border area, we’ve also made this public, including some footage we have put out. We have seen specific types of weapons that we have described in detail, including electronic warfare equipment. We have spoken to prisoners taken by the Ukrainian forces who claim to be members of the Russian armed forces fighting on rotation in Ukraine. We have seen men with the insignia of the Russian Federation, but you can buy this jacket anywhere. We have also seen the insignia of Germany, Spain, and others—but also of the Russians," he said.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Mark Etherington, a citizen of the United Kingdom, will replace Alexander Hug as first deputy chief monitor of the Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE SMM) on November 1, 2018.

In spring 2014, Alexander Hug and Mark Etherington were appointed deputy chief monitors of the OSCE SMM.

Mark Etherington left the position later and Alexander Hug became first deputy chief monitor of the OSCE SMM.

Alexander Hug has said he will leave the OSCE on October 31 as a person cannot work for the OSCE for more than 10 years.