Separatists end week-long blockade of hotel housing OSCE in eastern Ukraine

Protesters hold a rally to address members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) following the capture of a pro-Russian officer by Ukrainian armed forces in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine October 23, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

MOSCOW/DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Russian-backed separatists on Saturday called off a protest outside a hotel in eastern Ukraine housing international conflict monitors, ending a blockade sparked by the capture of a separatist officer by Ukrainian government forces.

Monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) had been confined to their hotel in the separatist-held city of Donetsk for more than a week and had to suspend their patrolling mission.