News and press releases

At 10:25hrs on 24 December, an SMM patrol arrived in Kominternove (92km south of Donetsk, 23km north-east of Mariupol) from the village’s eastern entrance, escorted by armed “Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”) members. For the last two days, the SMM had attempted to reach the village to follow up on reports about the presence of armed “DPR” members, but had not been able to do so due to security concerns and the restriction to its freedom of movement imposed by armed personnel (see SMM Daily Reports 23 December and 24 December 2015)...

The SMM observed fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared to previous days. In Luhansk region, the SMM saw and heard the use of a multiple launch rocket system. The SMM again attempted, unsuccessfully, to reach Kominternove* in order to follow up on reports about the presence of armed persons in the village. The SMM encountered other restrictions to its freedom of movement...

On 24 December 2015 at 06:50hrs (Moscow time), a Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 44 vehicles were checked by the Russian border guard and customs services. All of 44 vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 16:00hrs on 24 December...

KYIV, 24 December 2015 – A new report by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) highlights access to justice challenges faced by people residing in both government and non-government-controlled areas in Donetsk and Luhansk regions...

YEREVAN, 24 December 2015 – An OSCE-supported pilot study aiming to improve the identification of forced labour and labour trafficking cases among adults and children in Armenia, and to strengthen joint efforts to address related challenges, was presented today in Yerevan...

The SMM observed an increase in the number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared to previous days. Crater analysis conducted by the SMM indicated the use of multiple launch rocket systems in Donetsk region. The SMM encountered restrictions to its freedom of movement, including at a heavy weapons holding area. The SMM attempted to reach Kominternove in order to follow up on reports about the presence of armed persons in the village...

An international conference on safeguarding human rights through national standards for judicial education was co-organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine on 18 December 2015 in Kyiv, bringing together local judges, judges of the European Court of Human Rights, experts, and representatives of academia, international organizations and national NGOs...