KYIV, 30 May 2014 - At around 19:00 yesterday the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine lost contact with some members of its Luhansk-based team.

The team was stopped in the town of Severodonetsk (100km north of Luhansk) by armed men.

The team consists of four international SMM members, as well as one Ukrainian language assistant travelling in two vehicles.

The detained team is in addition to one currently missing in the East that was last heard from on the evening of May 26. That group consists of four internationals.

Any further pertinent information will be shared as soon as possible.

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