(8 Mar 2014) Pro-Russian forces refused to allow a foreign military mission to enter Crimea on Saturday.
The multinational group of military officers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was attempting to enter the embattled peninsula from the north.
After returning to the city of Kherson, southern Ukraine, where the OSCE observers had spent the night, the Hungarian representative said the pro-Russian forces who turned them back said they had no authorisation to enter Crimea.
"At this moment they were much angrier than (the) previous time, they were angry especially with the Ukraine escort," said Gabor Acs, an OSCE representative from Hungary, on Saturday. "Thank God it was only in oral way."
He also highlighted that OSCE observers were there at the behest of the Ukrainian government and will attempt to enter Crimea again if needed.
"We are invited by Ukraine so we follow their instructions, their request. If (the) Ukrainian side request us to try again, we will do that. Our mandate is until 12th of March, so if they request, we will try as many times as they wish," Acs said.
Russia and Ukraine are locked in a tense standoff over Crimea.
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