Russian OSCE monitor in Ukraine fired after 'drunkenly saying he was a Moscow spy'

A Russian monitor from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has reportedly drunkenly claimed he worked for Russian intelligence in a video that has raised concerns about Russia's role in the group.

The Ukraine Today news channel released a video of the monitor in the organisation which has been overseeing the long-running conflict.

The video released on Tuesday showed a man identified as Maksim Udovichenko speaking to residents of Severodonetsk in Ukrainian-controlled Luhansk, a city right on the front line of the war in the east.

Mr Udovichenko can be heard telling residents that “Ukraine is cr**,” and “there is great Russia. It’s right next door".

In another section of the video, he says he “served in the Russian armed forces” but "retired in 2010" while in a hotel room. Fellow OSCE monitors are shown frantically trying to shut him up.

Comments that are sure to worry include remarks about his alleged ties to Russia’s GRU, the country’s equivalent of the CIA or MI5.

The full clip of the video, which was not publicly released but seen by journalists from the Kyiv Post, reportedly showed Mr Udovichenko identifying himself as a “GRU officer”, apparently threatening the Ukrainian journalist by saying: "Are you out of your mind? You’re messing with the wrong guy."

The special monitoring mission to Ukraine immediately took steps to distance itself from the scandal, issuing a statement saying Mr Udovicheno was no longer a part of the mission after his “highly inappropriate behaviour”.

“The SMM took the action as the said monitor's conduct, apparently involving alcohol, was a clear violation of the OSCE code of conduct,” the statement read.

No mention was made of Mr Udovichenko’s claims that he had worked for the GRU.

While Michael Bociurkiw, OSCE spokesman, has repeatedly assured that all members go through a rigorous background check before being allowed to join, Shiv Sharma, a media and outreach officer for the organisation, hinted that the procedures were not foolproof.

The mission relies “on the good faith of participating states to second monitors to the OSCE who will work on the basis of impartiality”, Mr Sharma told The Telegraph.  

The OSCE has 32 Russian members out of 591 total in its special monitoring mission to Ukraine, according to Mr Bociurkiw.

Throughout the conflict, Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly questioned why citizens of an “aggressor country” have been allowed to serve as monitors, often alleging that Russian monitors were feeding information on Ukrainian troop movements to the pro-Russian separatists.