News and press releases

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM observed damage near residential areas as a result of shelling in Sakhanka and Dovhe. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including in Izvaryne at a border crossing point near the border with the Russian Federation.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to a pumping station near Artema, power lines near Svitlodarsk and continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM visited a border area outside of government control.*...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous 24 hours and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Pikuzy. It observed damage to civilian properties in residential areas of Sakhanka caused by shelling. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including at checkpoints near Olenivka and Staromykhailivka.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Lomakyne. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to a pumping station near Artema and continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM monitored a peaceful gathering in Odessa....

VIENNA, 20 March 2018 – “The decision of the European Court of Human Rights shows clearly that the rights to liberty and security, as well as to freedom of expression of two Turkish journalists, Şahin Alpay and Mehmet Altan, have been violated,” the OSCE media freedom representative Harlem Désir said in a reaction on the Strasbourg court ruling...

The SMM monitored the security situation at several locations associated with the Russian Federation presidential election; it observed police presence at these locations and people not being allowed to access some of them by police. The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region between the evenings of 16 and 17 March, compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 17 and 18 March, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous 24 hours and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including near Leonove, Mykolaivka and Staromykhailivka.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Bakhmut, Novopavlivka, and Yablunivka. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs of high-voltage power lines near Almazna and continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM monitored protests in several regions of Ukraine, and followed up on reports of car windows being damaged in Berehove, Zakarpattia region...

MOSCOW, 19 March 2018 – The 18 March presidential election in Russia took place in an overly controlled environment, marked by continued pressure on critical voices, while the Central Election Commission (CEC) administered the process efficiently and openly, the international observers concluded in a statement today. After intense efforts to promote turnout, citizens voted in significant numbers, yet restrictions on the fundamental freedoms, as well as on candidate registration, have limited the space for political engagement and resulted in a lack of genuine competition, the statement says...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded two ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Petrivske disengagement areas. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including near Izvaryne, at a border crossing point in Luhansk region near the border with the Russian Federation, in Amvrosiivka, Verkhnoshyrokivske and a heavy weapons holding area in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region.*

New York, 17 March 2018 – During his visit to New York OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir met with high-level United Nations officials and a broad range of civil society organizations to discuss ways of joining forces in promoting media freedom and protection of journalists.