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"The OCSE SMM faced two separate targeted security incidents that have placed our monitors in harm's way. In an incident on Sunday, in Schastia, to the north of Luhansk, a five-member two vehicle SMM patrol came under sustained mortar, machine gun and automatic grenade fire, when attempting to cross the contact line," he said.

"That happened even though the patrol's movement had been agreed and coordinated in advance with both sides, and it is particularly worrying. I'm relieved though to tell you that no one was injured in that incident and our team escaped after 90 minutes of sustained shelling," Hug said.

"In another incident the following day in Shyrokyne, one of our monitors was not so lucky. An explosion occurred just five meters in front of the SMM Mariupol leader. Thankfully, he was not hit by shrapnel, but sustained injuries when struck by concrete debris coursed by the impact, and his helmet was chipped," he said.

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"Apart from demonstrating the bravery and commitment of our monitors, these incidents deny rumors spread by various people that the SMM has no presence in areas of high violence."

"The safety and security of our monitors is, of course, our highest priority. And we have taken a response to these incidents both by laterally with various interlocutors and in terms of various risk mitigation measures," Hug said.

"All of these incidents, apart from the obvious dangers posed to our monitors, constitute deliberate hostile interference with the work of the OSCE SMM. They pose a fundamental challenge to our mission. The core of the SMM's mandate is, after all, to monitor and to report."

"We still face daily restrictions with checkpoint personnel on both sides regularly delaying or even denying us access. On Monday, for instance, a patrol was not allowed to enter Debaltseve and another one was refused to enter a heavy weapons storage area. We still have no access to large parts of the Ukraine-Russian Federation international border, in particular, on the Luhansk side," he added.