International group says vehicles with its insignia in Ukraine are fake
Mike Brest
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The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said it does not have a presence in the contested Ukrainian region known as the Donbas following reports of vehicles with their insignia in the area.
OSCE, which is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations, said on social media Monday that they are not present in the region and that, “Should you see any vehicles with OSCE markings in Donbas, know that they are not used for OSCE purposes.”
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The response comes after Ukrainian military reporter Andrii Tsaplienko shared a photo the day before of OSCE-marked vehicles being transported near the Izvaryne border checkpoint in occupied Luhansk Oblast close to the Russian border.
Russian forces have frequently been accused of violating international law and committing war crimes throughout the war. Should Russia use the vehicles for nefarious purposes, it would violate international law. Tsaplienko speculated that Russia could use the OSCE-marked vehicles in a provocation to blame Ukraine for an alleged attack against OSCE personnel.
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“The vehicles were housed in Rostov-on-Don following the evacuation of our international staff after 24 February 2022, where they were parked temporarily pending the completion of complex administrative processes to recuperate them,” a spokesperson from OSCE told the Washington Examiner on Monday. “We are aware of these reports and are assessing the situation.”
OSCE released a report detailing the war in Ukraine in April. Investigators found that Russian forces used the Red Cross emblem as a disguise for their “military non-medical vehicles,” and used Ukrainian flags, army and police uniforms or vehicles, a white flag, and OSCE symbols for the same reason.