Blast in Eastern Ukraine kills one patrol team member, wounds two

A patrol member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe was killed and two were injured Sunday in a “serious security incident in Luhansk region” in Eastern Ukraine.

The organization tweeted that two armored vehicles and six patrol members were involved in the incident. A Ukrainian foreign ministry official said the team was patrolling “the separatist-held village of Pryshyb in the Luhansk region when the vehicle is believed to have struck a mine and exploded,” according to an RFE/RLT report.

Sebastian Kurz, the Austrian foreign minister and OSCE’s chairman for Europe, tweeted that a thorough investigation is needed and those responsible will be held to account. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also called for an investigation.

“Safety & freedom of movement must be maintained,” Stoltenberg tweeted.

Outgoing French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called for all parties involved in the conflict, “especially the separatists,” to ensure OSCE teams free access “within the areas of responsibility and to engage in the application of the Minsk accords.”

“This is the only way to find a resolution to the conflict,” Ayrault said.