The "DNR/LNR" militants are already using the duty phones of Russian officers who left the JCCC. This is stated in the report of the OSCE SMM.
“The SMM called JCCC duty phones in the “DNR”-controlled Oleksandrivka and Yasynuvata on 18 December and found that they were answered by persons who introduced themselves as “ministry of emergency situations” members. The duty phone in “DNR”-controlled Debaltseve was answered by someone introducing himself as an “LNR” member of a “contact group”, - the report says.
It does not specify whether the Mission intends to cooperate with self-proclamed "substitutors" of the Russian delegation.
As previously reported, after the withdrawal of Russian officers, the terrorist "LNR" announced the establishment of its "representation" in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire and expressed a desire to cooperate with the OSCE mission. The "DNR" made a similar statement.
First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Iryna Herashchenko expressed the opinion that Russia's withdrawal of its representatives could lead to an aggravation of the situation on the front line, as well as become a lever for imposing a direct dialogue with the militants of terrorist "republics". Declarations about the readiness of the "representatives" of the “republics” to continue the duties of the Russian officers in JCCC, fully confirm this version.
However, there could be no official delegations of terrorist "republics" in the Joint Center. Until yesterday, the JCCC consisted of 128 officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Russia. They worked in 16 control groups - 8 in the territory under Ukraine's control and 8 in the zone of occupation.
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said that the Russian officers, who were part of the JCCC, departed from Ukraine on December 19.