OSCE SMM says Donbas residents have problems crossing contact line

13:45, 08.06.2016 1 min read

Donbas residents encounter travel limitations and danger whenever they cross the contact line, OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) Principal Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug said.

OSCE SMM observers have seen hundreds of people stranded at checkpoints, Hug said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

He said the situation was complicated and travelers were experiencing hindrances and danger.

People in the western part of Luhansk region told SMM monitors that the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) militants had not allowed them to visit Novooleksandrivka, he said.

Such actions restrict the basic right of moving around one's own country or even one's home region and create problems with access to food and medicines, Hug said.

In his words, this situation is typical of Donbas.

Besides, shootouts happen in direct proximity to checkpoints on the contact line, Hug said.