News and press releases

KYIV, 17 July 2016 – The Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, today on the second anniversary of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 tragedy, said that disaster once again reminds all of us of the heavy toll that civilians pay in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, and in all armed conflicts...

VIENNA, 16 July 2016 – OSCE media freedom representative Dunja Mijatović today said she was deeply saddened upon learning of the death of photojournalist Mustafa Cambaz in Turkey, and worried about the state of media freedom in the country...

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded a slightly higher number of ceasefire violations including nearly 400 explosions, compared to the previous reporting period, with violence focused in the Avdiivka/Yasynuvata area, and Shyrokyne. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded a high number of ceasefire violations compared to none during the previous reporting period, noting a sharp increase of violence, including over 550 explosions on the night of 14 July in the area of Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis in Marinka, Maiorsk, Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city and in Stanytsia Luhanska. It followed up on reports about civilian casualties in Staromykhailivka and Zaitseve. Armed “LPR” members repeatedly denied the SMM access to Stanytsia Luhanska bridge...*

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded a higher number of ceasefire violations compared to the previous reporting period, with violence focused around Svitlodarsk, Avdiivka, Yasynuvata, and Shyrokyne. In Luhansk region, however, for the first time in four days, the Mission recorded no ceasefire violations. The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis in Horlivka, Vozdvyzhenka, and Novotoshkivske. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure in Shumy, Kirove, and near Pryshyb. The Mission monitored also the withdrawal of weapons, and observed a stockpile of MLRS rockets north of Mariupol. The SMM continued noting long queues at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. Its freedom of movement was restricted on four occasions, all in areas outside government control.* The SMM observed the arrival of the new Russian Federation contingent to the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) at a border crossing point in Kharkiv region...

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations compared to the previous reporting period, with violence focused around Donetsk city, Yasynuvata, and Shyrokyne. In Luhansk region for the fourth consecutive day, the SMM continued to record a high number of overnight ceasefire violations in government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis in Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city, in Kamianka and in Stanytsia Luhanska. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure in Slovianoserbsk, Pryshyb and Krasnyi Lyman. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons. The SMM noted long queues at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. Its freedom of movement was restricted on three occasions, including at a border crossing point, all in areas outside government control. The SMM followed up on reports of smuggling of grenades and explosives in Kharkiv region’s border area. In Odessa it observed three Polish citizens blocked inside a hotel by self-defence activists...

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations compared to the previous reporting period. Most of the fighting was recorded in the areas around Donetsk city, Yasynuvata, Horlivka and Shyrokyne. In Luhansk region for the third consecutive day, the SMM continued to record a relatively high number of overnight ceasefire violations in government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska, including 237 explosions. The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis on both sides of the contact line, in Sakhanka, Zaichenko and Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure in Slovianoserbsk, Pryshyb and Shchastia. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. The Mission monitored a border area not controlled by the Government and encountered a restriction of its freedom of movement there; overall, the Mission’s freedom of movement was restricted on five occasions, four of which were in areas not controlled by the Government...

KYIV, 12 July 2016 – Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), today expressed his unease following a recent sharp increase in fighting in eastern Ukraine. He said a ceasefire is a KEY step towards the restoration of stabilization, normalization and ultimately, peace. Adherence to a full and sustainable ceasefire is a basic requirement of the Minsk documents. It is a political and moral obligation, he added.