News and press releases

Following the recommitment to cease fire, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region between the evenings of 22 and 23 December compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 23 and 24 December, the SMM recorded a significant decrease in the number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous 24 hours and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions between the evenings of 24 and 25 December compared with the previous 24 hours, but fewer compared with the period between the evenings of 22 and 23 December. The Mission followed up on reports of a civilian injured along the contact line near Berezove and observed damage to residential areas of Pavlopil and Yasynuvata assessed as caused by shelling. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Stanytsia Luhanska area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including at two “DPR” weapons storage sites. The Mission observed weapons in violation near Poltavka. The SMM visited five border areas beyond government control. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored four gatherings in the city centre...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Lysychansk. The SMM observed damage to civilian properties in residential areas of Yasynuvata. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including at checkpoints near Verkhnoshyrokivske and Rozdolne.* The Mission saw weapons in violation in Oleksandropil. The SMM observed long queues of civilians at the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge...

KYIV, 22 December 2017- Ertugrul Apakan, Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), today welcomed the recommitment to the ceasefire made by the Trilateral Contact Group and other signatories of the Minsk agreements...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties from Yasynuvata. The SMM observed damage to civilian properties in residential areas in Novoluhanske, Dokuchaievsk and Yasynuvata. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near all three. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including at a checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske and a compound in Luhansk city.* The Mission saw weapons in violation in Sievierodonetsk and near Novotroitske. It observed convoys of trucks marked, “Humanitarian Aid from the Russian Federation”, in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM visited four border areas outside of government control...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties from Novoluhanske and Snizhne. The SMM continued to assess damage to civilian properties in residential areas in Novoluhanske. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near all three and heard an explosion assessed as an outgoing mortar round 250m north of its position near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere.* The Mission saw a weapon in violation of withdrawal lines near Travneve. It observed military presence and mines in and around Travneve, Dolomitne, Holmivskyi and Novoluhanske. The Mission visited two border areas outside of government control.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM heard explosions less than 600m from its forward patrol base in Popasna; subsequently, SMM staff left the base. The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties from Novoluhanske, Kadiivka and Holmivskyi. The SMM assessed damage to civilian properties in residential areas in Pervomaisk and Kadiivka. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and near all three. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere.* In Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, the SMM followed up on the withdrawal of Russian Federation Armed Forces officers of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC); it monitored their passing through the entry-exit checkpoint near Maiorsk and exiting Ukraine at a border crossing point in Kharkiv region. The SMM visited three border areas outside of government control.

MINSK, 20 December 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 Working Groups in Minsk on 20 December 2017: