DISINFO: Ukrainian commandos seized an observer
SUMMARY
Ukrainian commandos have seized an observer from the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination.
RESPONSE
This is a disinforming claim misrepresenting a recent incident when Ukrainian troops seized a separatist from the so-called “Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR)”, who was spying on Ukrainian positions, rather than an unarmed observer.
Andriy Kosyak was disguised as an official from the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination (JCCC). He is a Ukrainian citizen but received a Russian passport in 2020.
The Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group said on its official Facebook page that Kosyak also had “LNR” military documents and firearms. On the morning of 13 October 2021, a group of LNR separatists came out to only demine an area along the line of contact in order to open a new checkpoint there later. The Ukrainian side had given them safety guarantees. However, they were noticed spying on Ukrainian positions instead. The Ukrainians seized one of them. The separatist said during interrogation that he was serving for the “LNR” and that he was carrying firearms, which was a violation of internal rules. Ukrainian law enforcers later discovered that he was also suspected of committing premeditated murder in 2010.
The JCCC was set up in 2014 to address current issues in the Minsk format like requests for ceasefires, repairs or demining operations. The OSCE mission to Ukraine said in a report that participants in peace talks had been notified of the accident. It called on the parties to avoid escalation so that such events do not occur in the future.
Read more disinformation reports claiming that Ukraine violates the peace process.