News and press releases

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM continued to observe hardships faced by civilians at checkpoints along the contact line and followed up on reports that civilians had remained after closing hours in the area between the checkpoint of the armed formations and the entry-exit checkpoint of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Maiorsk. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line, as well as to damaged houses in Marinka. The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. The Mission followed up on reports of vandalism in a Polish Military Cemetery in Lviv. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and at a checkpoint near Novolaspa.

MILAN, 7 December 2018 – The escalation of tensions in the Kerch Strait, election observation methodology, counter-terrorism, strengthening the OSCE, confidence-building measures, civil society and democracy were among the topics of discussion over two days of bilateral meetings between the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President and high-level diplomats on the margins of the OSCE Ministerial Council taking place this week in Milan.

A two-day training course on developing the 2019 Action Plan for the Implementation of the Montenegrin National Strategy for Youth concluded on 4 December 2018 in Petrovac. The event was organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Directorate for Youth within the Ministry of Sports.

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. 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. It continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate the transfer of human remains across the bridge in Shchastia. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas. It was also restricted in the Trudivski area of Donetsk city’s Petrovskyi district and at a checkpoint near Zaichenko.*

MILAN, 6 December 2018 – With East-West relations at historic lows, a strong OSCE is needed to serve as a forum for real confidence-building, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia) said today at the 25th OSCE Ministerial Council in Milan.

Newly elected education authorities should focus on quality inclusive education dedicated to strengthening students’ skills and preparing them for a prosperous future, concluded participants at a conference on 6 December 2018 in Sarajevo. The event, titled #SviMožemoBolje, was organized by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Mission observed damage to a house caused by shelling in a residential area of Chermalyk. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations, including over 20 explosions, inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and observed fresh shrapnel damage. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Mykhailivka and Alchevsk. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure and houses on both sides of the contact line. It continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. The Mission monitored a court hearing related to the detained Mekhanik Pogodin tanker; the court ruled that the tanker should continue to be detained. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas. It was also restricted at two weapons storage sites in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region and near Novolaspa.*