The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine has recorded last weekend the presence of members of Russian armed formations wearing armbands with the inscription "JCCC" in the disengagement areas in Zolote and Stanytsia Luhanska, according to a daily report issued by the OSCE SMM on December 2.

"On 30 November and 1 December, the SMM saw members of the armed formations (wearing armbands with "JCCC" (Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination) written on them) at the checkpoint of the armed formations on the southern edge of the disengagement area near Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk)," the report reads.

In addition, it notes that on December 1, outside of the disengagement area near Zolote, the SMM continued to see the presence of police and national guard personnel patrolling in areas north of the disengagement area.

On the same day, positioned in Pervomaisk, the SMM heard a burst of small-arms fire, at an assessed range of 3-4km north-north-east. About 45 minutes later, positioned in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka, the Mission heard about five shots of small-arms fire, at an assessed distance of 1-2km north-north-east. All of the above were assessed as outside the disengagement area near Zolote but within its 5km periphery.

"On 1 December, inside the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw at least five members of the armed formations (wearing armbands with "JCCC" written on them), between the southern edge of the newly constructed section of the bridge and the checkpoint of the armed formations inside the disengagement area," the OSCE SMM said.

In December 2017, officers of the Russian Armed Forces were withdrawn from the JCCC, and they left Ukraine. There was no information about their return. Since then, only the Ukrainian side of the JCCC has operated in Donbas.

On July 1, 2019, the OSCE SMM recorded in the disengagement area in Stanytsia Luhanska the appearance of "men in military-style clothing, who were wearing blue armbands with "JCCC" written on them in both Russian and English languages."

The Ukrainian side said it was a gross attempt to legitimize Russian military presence in the disengagement area.

op