A hotel in Horlivka unblocked, where members of the OSCE mission were taken hostage

In Gorlovka, Ukraine’s Donetsk region, occupied by pro-Russian militants, representatives of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission were able to leave the territory of the Rodina Hotel, where they were being held by the separatists. Earlier it was reported that the OSCE staff taken hostage.

Groups of people gathered around the hotel allowed the OSCE representatives to leave its territory, writes “Ukrainian Truth”. One of the organizers of the rally addressed the audience and said that the OSCE mission must fulfill its responsibilities, otherwise negative consequences may arise, for example, a malfunction in the Horlivka filter station.

The protesters rolled up their tents set up in front of the hotel and dispersed. Before that, the organizers of the action held a meeting with the OSCE staff and demanded the release of “officer of the JCCC LPR” (Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire Regime) Andrei Kosyak.

“If he doesn’t come back soon, we will come back here again,” a woman who was among the protesters said before leaving.

A similar situation has developed in Donetsk. And there, OSCE observers still cannot leave the hotel, near which the protesters have gathered, transfers Reuters citing the OSCE mission.

OSCE SMM Press Service reported the publication “Novosti Donbassa” that the organization has not yet restored the mission in the territory of the Donetsk region in full.

“The detention of international observers by armed men is a sign of international terrorism,” said the Ukrainian delegation to the peace talks.

On October 18, the Ukrainian court of the Luhansk region arrested the militant and citizen of the Russian Federation Andrei Kosyak. He was detained by the Ukrainian military on October 13 near the contact line. According to them, Kosyak was engaged in reconnaissance of the positions of the Ukrainian army under the guise of demining the front-line areas.

Kosyak, who fought in the pro-Russian armed formations, is accused of murder.

Since the evening of October 15, the Rodina hotel, where representatives of the OSCE monitoring mission were temporarily staying, was blocked by about 200 “demonstrators”. They demanded that Kosyak be released.

On October 17, two men in civilian clothes entered the hotel and stated that mission members were only allowed to move around the hotel and not go outside. On the same day, the pro-Russian separatists did not allow three vehicles of the OSCE mission to enter the territory they controlled, demanding the release of Kosyak.