News and press releases

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The SMM followed up on reports of a man injured due to gunfire in Chermalyk. • The Mission observed damage to a house caused by shelling in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka and by small-arms fire to a post office in Holubivske. • The SMM recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas. • The Mission saw weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The SMM continued to observe long queues of civilians travelling across the contact line near Stanytsia Luhanska. • The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential civilian infrastructure and damaged houses in Marinka and Krasnohorivka. It continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. • It monitored public gatherings in Odessa and Lviv.

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. • The SMM saw weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The Mission continued to observe long queues of civilians travelling across the contact line near Stanytsia Luhanska. • The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential civilian infrastructure and damaged houses in Marinka and Krasnohorivka. It continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. • The Mission observed convoys of trucks marked “Humanitarian Aid from the Russian Federation” in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. The SMM was also restricted near Izvaryne, an area of Luhansk region close to the border with the Russian Federation.*

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. • The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area. • Small-arms fire was directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near Novotoshkivske.* • The SMM saw weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines near Bakhmut, Kostiantynivka and Lysychansk. • The Mission continued to observe long queues of civilians travelling across the contact line near Stanytsia Luhanska. • The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential civilian infrastructure and damaged houses in Marinka and Krasnohorivka. It continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. • Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas.*

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas. It observed demining activities near government-controlled Shyrokyi and Krasna Talivka. The SMM continued to observe hardship faced by civilians at checkpoints along the contact line. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure as well as damaged houses in Marinka and Krasnohorivka. It continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a public gathering related to gender issues.Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas.

Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure as well as damaged houses in Marinka and Krasnohorivka. It continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. The SMM was also restricted at two weapons storage sites in non-government-controlled-areas of Donetsk region, as well as Novoamvrosiivske and Makiivka and close to Voznesenivka, a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region near the border with the Russian Federation.*

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week.

Between the evenings of 14 and 15 December, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 15 and 16 December, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM followed up on reports of a woman who had sustained injuries due to gunfire in Slovianoserbsk and two men injured in a grenade explosion in Krasnohorivka.