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PRO-RUSSIAN UKRAINIAN rebels holding captive an international team of military observers from the OSCE said they are “prisoners of war” and brought them before the media in a news conference.
The group of eight men, all Europeans, were part of a 12-member OSCE military verification team deployed in east Ukraine. The other four members are Ukrainian military officers who were not brought before the press.
Speaking through one of their number, a German officer, the Europeans asserted their diplomatic status to the scores of local and foreign journalists assembled in the town of Slavyansk.
With armed rebels watching over them as they spoke, the group said they were in good health.
They said they had been “captured” by the insurgents on Friday, around four kilometres (two miles) outside Slavyansk as they had been about to return to the regional hub city of Donetsk.
“We are OSCE officers with diplomatic status,” their German spokesman said.
“I cannot go home of my free will.”
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said it had sent a negotiating team to Slavyansk to try to arrange the entire team’s release.
Not hostages but ‘guests’
Ponomaryov, who was wearing a pistol in a holster and was escorted by two armed bodyguards, claimed in the interview that the OSCE observers “are not our hostages — they are our guests”.
The rebel leader said all the detainees “are doing well”.
Asked about Russia’s promise to do everything it could to convince the pro-Kremlin rebels in Slavyansk to release the OSCE military observers, Ponomaryov said: “I have no direct contact with Moscow.”
Ponomaryov also said that rebels had separately “arrested” three Ukrainian officers — a colonel, a major and a captain — he said had been sent towards Slavyansk on a spying mission.
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Leo is concerned someone might leak confidential information….
@Leonard O’mahony: no sure he can do that all himself.
@Leonard O’mahony: Nah, he just doesn’t want any more photos of him being caught kissing someone other than his partner ;)
@Leonard O’mahony: You mean Leo is concerned someone will get to leak confidential information before he does it.
Eamon Ryan, are you listening? It’s only the phone you put on “sleep”.
Security reasons? Russian intelligence, Chinese Intelligence, U.S. intelligence? .The plot thickens. Of course the fact Varadkar leaked confidential government documents or the fact a junior FG minister set up a sting to catch a senior FG minister who leaked information may also be a consideration in this move. Keep the circus going lads .
@Donal Desmond: certainly not British intelligence as it doesn’t exist
@Tony Doyle: Good point..
This is a very basic cyber security precaution that should have been implemented 15 years ago. Most cyber security aware military installations around the world have been doing this for ages in high level offices/meeting rooms. The cabinet of the Government of Ireland should be no different. Might cut down on a few leaks.
@Niall Mchugh: Apparently Enda Kenny brought in a few years ago but it wasn’t followed through
Sell your shares in Candy Crush
Oh the irony!!
Is leaky afraid someone might leak something before he gets a chance to leak.????
We’ve known about hacking software such as the Israeli developed Pegasus for a quite a while now. This decision is well justified and not before time.
From today?
Surely this ban shoukd always have been there?
I have never been in a meeting, where the use of a mobile phone was accetable.
have your say