News and press releases

KYIV, 15 September 2014 – Chief Monitor of the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) Ambassador Ertuğrul Apakan today urged all sides to allow monitors to carry out their duties and verification of the ceasefire regime safely after a series of incidents which put their lives at serious risk...

On 14 September the SMM monitored the situation and adherence to Minsk Protocol provisions in the areas east of Donetsk city. These areas have not been regularly patrolled by the SMM since the signing of the Protocol; breaches of the Protocol in these areas have been reported to the SMM...

The SMM continued to observe the situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in light of the Minsk Protocol on the non-use of weapons. The SMM received numerous accounts indicating breaches of these arrangements in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions...

On 14 September, at about 15:00 hrs, the SMM was on patrol close to the Putilovka market, Kievskyi district, Donetsk city. The market appeared to have been subjected to shelling prior to the SMM’s arrival. Smoke was coming from one building and a fire brigade was at the scene. Members of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”) present at the location reported that a total of four people had been killed in the incident. About 20 m from its position, the SMM team could see the body of a civilian woman lying on the street.

On 13 September, between 15:30 and 20:25 (Moscow time), the OSCE Observer Mission (OM) observed a total number of 216 vehicles of the Russian convoy crossing at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP) from Ukraine into the Russian Federation. Earlier today, the OM reported that 220 vehicles had passed Donetsk BCP towards Ukraine (see Spot Report of 13 September 2014). The discrepancy of four vehicles is explained by an erroneous double count of the very first trucks that had arrived to the Donetsk BCP yesterday at 22:20. Thus, OM concludes that all 216 vehicles of the convoy, which had crossed, have returned to the Russian Federation (RF).

Russian convoy of 216 vehicles entered Ukraine through the Donetsk Border Crossing Point On 12 September 2014 starting at 22:20 (Moscow time) and throughout the night, a Russian convoy of 216 vehicles, including 189 cargo trucks, entered the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP) and crossed into Ukraine in six groups. By 13 September at 07:45, all the vehicles had crossed into Ukraine. According to the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations (MES), the convoy is carrying only food products and heading to Luhansk.

The SMM observed a simultaneous release of 68 people in Donetsk; and monitored the non-use of weapons regime established under the Minsk Protocol.