News and press releases

The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the incident of 23 April near Pryshyb, which affected its observations, including of ceasefire violations. The Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region but fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted at all three and elsewhere.* The Mission continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure in Luhansk region. The Mission continued to monitor the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. The SMM visited a border area currently not under government control near Voznesenivka...

MINSK, 27 April 2017 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Martin Sajdik, made the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG and its three working groups in Minsk on 26 April 2017:..

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions, but, following the serious security incident that involved an SMM patrol on 23 April near Pryshyb, its monitoring in eastern Ukraine continued to be conducted with some security restrictions, which affected its observations, including of ceasefire violations. The Mission continued assessing the site of the 23 April incident. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted at all three and elsewhere.* The SMM saw damage from gunfire inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and near Zhovte. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in areas not controlled by the Government. The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs to power lines near Nyzhnoteple...

The SMM resumed patrolling in eastern Ukraine, with some restrictions, following the more limited patrolling conducted on 24 April after the serious security incident that involved an SMM patrol on 23 April near Pryshyb, which affected its observations, including of ceasefire violations. Violations of the ceasefire continued. In Donetsk region the SMM observed about 600 ceasefire violations, including about 110 explosions. In Luhansk region the SMM observed one shot of small-arms fire assessed as inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area....

An SMM patrol member died and two more were taken to hospital after an explosion severely damaged an SMM vehicle near Pryshyb, possibly after the vehicle came into contact with a mine. Between the evenings of 21 and 22 April the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 22 and 23 April the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24-hour period. The Mission saw damage in Novooleksandrivka, Katerynivka, Dokuchaievsk and Syhnalne. The SMM monitored the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, but its access there and elsewhere remained restricted.* It observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM saw mines and unexploded ordnance in populated areas. The Mission monitored three border areas currently not under government control...

On 23 April an SMM patrol consisting of six members and two armoured vehicles was driving near “LPR”-controlled Pryshyb (34km north-west of Luhansk) on a secondary road previously used by the SMM. At 11:17, one of the SMM vehicles (second in line), with three members on board, was severely damaged as a result of an explosion, possibly after coming into contact with a mine.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, but fewer explosions in Donetsk region and fewer ceasefire violations in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM monitored the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, but its access there and elsewhere remained restricted.* It observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission saw damage from shelling and gunfire in Dokuchaievsk and near Katerynivka. The SMM continued to monitor the presence of protestors and tent booths at a blockade site in Bakhmut. The Mission monitored three border areas currently not under government control. The SMM monitored the continuation of protests in front of branches of the Sberbank of Russia in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa. The Mission monitored the situation along the administrative boundary line between Kherson and Crimea.