The mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) which monitors Russian border checkpoints in Gukovo and Donetsk, has observed massive removal of coal from the militia-controlled areas in eastern Ukraine into the Russian Federation, the OSCE said on its website on Dec. 25.

The monitoring mission continued observing a large number of trucks moving coal from Luhansk region into Russia, it said. It was reported earlier that the monitors had seen Russian customs officers making sure the trucks were empty when leaving Russia, the report said.