OSCE in Ukraine accused of presenting biased picture

Russia has accused the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) special monitoring mission in Ukraine of presenting a biased picture and supporting Kiev.

"We are concerned about the approach the OSCE special monitoring mission in Ukraine has been demonstrating lately," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement Friday.

"There is an impression that its efforts are aimed at supporting and assisting only one side in the conflict, the Kiev authorities," Xinhua quoted the statement as saying.

The OSCE mission's reports contained detailed information about the movements of independence-seeking insurgents' armed forces, but ignored the data regarding the "planning and amassment" of the Ukrainian army.

It added that the mission failed to mention "numerous facts" of violations of the peace accord reached in September in Minsk as well as international humanitarian norms in regions under Kiev's control.

The Minsk protocol was signed by representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics.

OSCE representative Ilkka Kanerva Thursday said that the mission has been restricted to report only what it sees passing through the official crossing along the "tiniest strip" of the porous Russia-Ukraine border.