KIEV, Ukraine
Armed pro-Russian militants have abducted seven international monitors from a military observation group connected to the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and five Ukrainian soldiers, according to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry.
The ministry said on Friday that a bus carrying the group was stopped while heading towards the separatist stronghold of Slavyansk.
The group was reportedly being held at the former local headquarters of Ukraine's SBU state security agency, which has been occupied by armed militants.
“Negotiations for their release are ongoing,” the ministry said, adding that the militants refused to set the group free.
Slavyansk, a city of around 130,000 people, has been under the control of separatists for nearly three weeks.
The separatist leader of the town, Vyaceslav Ponarmaryev, said his militants had abducted the group.
He said that he was scheduled to hold talks with international monitors, but said the group also brought Ukrainian military officials with them.
“I was expecting three people, but 13 people or more arrived,” he said.
The OSCE has not confirmed the ministry’s statement.
Earlier on Friday, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry and the German Defense Ministry said contact had been lost with the group at about 11 a.m. (1400GMT).
The group included Czech, German, Polish, Swedish and Danish officials.
Meanwhile, the head of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Ertugrul Apakan, said that his group was not associated with the abducted officials.
