European intergovernmental security group completes personnel evacuation in eastern Ukraine

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) - The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) announced Tuesday that it completed the evacuation of its personnel in eastern Ukraine.

The remaining OSCE Special Monitoring Mission members in Donetsk and Luhansk were relocated and are safe, OSCE said on Twitter, adding that evacuation and relief efforts continue across the country.

OSCE said Feb. 25 that it would evacuate staff from Ukraine because of the ongoing fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces following Moscow’s decision to attack Ukraine and the worsening security situation in the country.

Since Russia's war on Ukraine began last Thursday, it has been met by outrage from the international community, with the EU, UK and US implementing a range of economic sanctions on Russia.

At least 136 civilians, including 13 children, have been killed and 400 others, including 26 children, injured in Ukraine, according to UN figures.

Around 660,000 people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, the UN Refugee Agency said Tuesday.​​​​​​​