OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine’s statement to media allegations

The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) is aware of the reporting of the ARD programme «Fakt» on Tuesday, 17 July.  The Mission is concerned about any alleged breach of its security and is determined to examine all the allegations thoroughly in accordance with established procedures.

The SMM is the largest field operation within the OSCE, focused on monitoring and reporting on security situation in Ukraine. In particular, SMM’s monitors in Ukraine are gathering facts on the ground, reporting on ceasefire violations, facilitating dialogue and monitoring the violations of OSCE’s fundamental commitments and principles.

Our work has been and will continue to be transparent. We report the facts on the ground as we see them; those facts are reported to OSCE participating States and published in our daily reports on the OSCE website. Since the very beginning, SMM has taken relevant steps to implement appropriate data protection measures, as well as to stave off various cyber-attacks against the Mission.

Without proper verification, the OSCE SMM cannot comment or speculate on documents of unknown origin. However, the Mission is concerned that alleged breaches may carry a potential risk for its staff, compromising their privacy and security. The OSCE SMM will continue to implement its mandate by fostering peace, stability and security in Ukraine and contributing to the reduction in tensions.