Czech prime minister and president call for release of OSCE observers

The Czech government headed by Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, as well as Czech President Miloš Zeman, have called for the release of a group of seven OSCE observers, including a Czech national, who were ‘seized’ by separatists in eastern Ukraine. The observers were travelling with members of the Ukrainian military; rebels charged that one of the Ukrainians was a spy. Prime Minister Sobotka said the incident had only escalated the situation in Ukraine. Both he and President Zeman insisted the OSCE observers needed to be released and be allowed to go about their work – monitoring developments on the ground.

Author: Jan Velinger