DISINFO: The OSCE special monitoring mission in Ukraine worked in the interests of Western intelligence agencies
SUMMARY
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine covered up the fortification work of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and collected sensitive data in the interests of Western intelligence agencies. Therefore, the patrolling and the work of the SMM UAVs were disproportionately concentrated in areas controlled by the LPR and DPR authorities.
During the special military operation, documentary evidence of the mission's systematic cooperation with foreign intelligence services began to be revealed. As a result, in its public reports, the OSCE always presented a distorted picture of what was happening, concealing the war crimes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and deliberately discrediting the militia of Donetsk and Luhansk.
RESPONSE
This is part of a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation effort to accuse the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) of being biased towards Ukraine and in this case of working for Ukrainian and Western special services, and making accusations about Western belligerence against Russia.
No evidence is provided to support the claims.
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) started its activities on 21 March 2014 and discontinued its operations on 31 March 2022. The SMM was deployed following a request to the OSCE by Ukraine’s Government and a consensus decision by all 57 OSCE participating States.
The SMM was an unarmed, civilian mission, operating on the ground 24/7 in Ukraine. Its main tasks were to observe and report impartially and objectively on the security situation in Ukraine; and to facilitate dialogue among all parties to the conflict.
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission mandate expired on 31 March 2022. No consensus was reached on the extension of the mandate as Russia blocked the mandate extension of the OSCE monitoring mission to Ukraine.
See other similar cases claiming that OSCE observers worked in the interests of the Ukrainian special services or examples of disinformation narratives about the supposed anti-Russian bias of international institutions- such as the OPCW, the World Anti-Doping Agency or the United Nations, which always falsely accuse Russia-, about the alleged Russophobia of the EU, and about “absurd” accusations against Russia as an attempt to demonise it.