In view of the escalation, caused by Russia’s provocative actions and concentration of the Russian troops and weaponry on the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and along the Ukrainian-Russian state border the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine officially requested the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine to increase the SMM's presence along the entire administrative boundary line with the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, as well as along the state border between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, including its temporarily uncontrolled areas.

In addition, the SMM was asked to take measures to get access to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to assess the situation in line with the OSCE Permanent Council Decision №1117 on the deployment of an OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian side also called on the OSCE SMM, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine to seek access to the Ukrainian citizens detained by the Russian occupying authorities in Crimea, including Yevhen Panov.

We underline the need for the Russian Federation as the occupying power in Crimea to allow secure and unfettered access of the international organizations to the peninsula to observe the situation on the ground.