OSCE's Desir Says Concerned About Attack On Russian TV Crew In Donbas

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir expressed concern over an attack on a Russian TV crew near east Ukraine's Donetsk

VIENNA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd April, 2019) OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir expressed concern over an attack on a Russian tv crew near east Ukraine's Donetsk.

On Monday, Russia's Permanent Mission to the OSCE urged Desir to provide a proper reaction to the situation.

"Concerned by reports of gunshots fired at Russian VGTRK TV crew around Spartak settlement (north of Donetsk city, area not controlled by Ukrainian government), on 20 April. Safety of journalists must be ensured by all, at all times," Desir said on Twitter.

On Saturday, the press service of the Donetsk militia said that the crew of the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK) had been targeted by sniper fire next to the Spartak village in the Donetsk region.

Nobody was injured as a result of the incident.

The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Kiev's forces of violation of humanitarian law and noted that there had been no reaction to the incident on behalf of international institutions, including OSCE.

The conflict in Donbas started in 2014 when Kiev launched a military operation against the self-proclaimed people's republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DPR and LPR) after they refused to recognize the new government in Kiev that came to power after what they considered to be a coup. In February 2015, the warring parties signed the Minsk peace accords to end the hostilities in the region, but the situation has remained tense, with both parties accusing each other of ceasefire violations.