OBSE mission makes third futile attempt to enter Crimea

Military observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Saturday made a third futile attempt to enter Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula, having once again been forced back by Russian troops firing warning shots into the air. The 37-member OSCE mission, which includes two Czechs, was to have monitored the situation in the region, visited Ukrainian military installations in Crimea and the headquarters of the Russian fleet in Sevastopol. Its week-long mission is due to expire on Tuesday. Similarly, UN Special envoy Robert Serry, who arrived in Crimea last Wednesday, was forced to leave the region almost immediately, after being attacked and threatened by pro-Russian activists.