The Russian representatives have every right to participate in the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, but each of them, like other members of the Mission, must sign the OSCE Code obliging to correspond to the proper status. So OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger answered the question about whether in the 4th year of the war in Ukraine SMM needs observers from the state of the aggressor.

"Of the 44 member countries of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, of 700 observers who work in the field, 37 are from the Russian Federation. This is the position of the mission, because Russia is a participating country and, accordingly, has the right to have its representation here ... All OSCE staff, members of the SMM must sign the OSCE Code of Conduct. And this code of conduct obliges them to behave in a way that constantly corresponds to the proper status, "said the secretary general in Kramatorsk.

Greminger noted that the SMM observers, first of all, are employees of an international organization and represent the OSCE, and not their country, and it is this that "determines how they should fulfill their professional duties".

At the same time, he stressed that observers daily follow very strict procedures corresponding to certain international standards, notes inforesist. org.

"I want to emphasize here the main focus on the fact that every report that is created as a result of the work is issued by a whole team of observers," said Greminger.

He also said that there were several cases of violation of standards. The mission had to take disciplinary action.