News and press releases

MINSK, 9 July 2017 – Austrian parliamentarian Christine Muttonen was elected to a second term as President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly today at the OSCE PA’s Annual Session in Minsk. Upon her re-election, the President thanked the Assembly for its support and pledged to continue the work that she has pursued since being elected in Tbilisi last year...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including fewer explosions, in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period. In Luhansk city the SMM heard two explosions. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas. The SMM’s access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including in Olenivka and twice near Kreminets where, on one occasion, an armed man pointed a rifle at the SMM and demanded it to wait.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Zaichenko. The SMM visited three border areas not controlled by the Government in Donetsk region...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions, in Donetsk region, and more ceasefire violations, including a similar number of explosions, in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas. The SMM’s access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* In violation of the withdrawal lines, the SMM saw ten multiple launch rocket systems near Khrustalnyi. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Mykhailivka-Almazna high-voltage power lines near Pervomaisk and repair works to water wells in the Stanytsia Luhanska area. The SMM visited one border area not controlled by the Government in Luhansk region...

MINSK, 6 July 2017 – More than 260 parliamentarians from 55 OSCE countries and several Partners for Co-operation began debates today on political and security affairs, economic and environmental issues, and human rights and humanitarian concerns at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 26th Annual Session in Minsk...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, although more explosions, in Donetsk region, and a similar number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region as in the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Zolote-5. It continued monitoring the disengagement areas and observed a calm situation. The SMM’s access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including again to Novoazovsk – an area close to the border. It observed removal of unexploded ordnance (UXO) south of Stanytsia Luhanska and the presence of other UXO on a road east of Staromarivka. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Mykhailivka-Almazna high-voltage power lines near Pervomaisk...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, although fewer explosions, in Donetsk region, and fewer ceasefire violations overall in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Luhansk city and Bakhmut, and observed damage to civilian properties due to gunfire in Yasynuvata. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas and observed a calm situation. The SMM’s access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The Mission monitored weapons on both sides of the contact line and observed weapons in violation. It observed the restoration of water in Avdiivka and continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Mykhailivka-Almazna high-voltage power lines and water wells near Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. The SMM followed up on an incident at a Jewish centre in Lviv. The Mission saw long queues at the administrative boundary line between Kherson and Crimea...

Good practices to advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda were shared and actively discussed at a regional workshop on 4 July 2017 in Tirana, organized by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Presence in Albania. The aim of the workshop was to share