Swiss military observers sent to Ukraine

OSCE military observers have already tried to get into the region controlled by Russian forces (OSCE) Keystone

Two Swiss military observers arrived in Ukraine on Thursday as part of a mission by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Unarmed but in uniform, they will observe activities in the south and east of the country until Sunday.

The two observers are working with experts from 25 other countries, by invitation from Ukraine.

According to the defence ministry, they stopped in the east Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Friday. Although their next destination is not known, an attempt to access the Crimean peninsula has not been ruled out.

The OSCE military observers made numerous failed attempts to access the area the previous week. The last attempt on Saturday met with warning shots by the occupying Russian troops. The duration of the mission was then extended on Tuesday and the number of countries represented increased from 14 to 25.

The Swiss OSCE special envoy to Ukraine, Tim Guldimann, said on Thursday he would travel again to the country in the coming week. He will be observing the situation in the Russian-speaking east of Ukraine.