News and press releases

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. The Mission continued to monitor the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska. Aerial imagery available to the SMM revealed the presence of fresh craters inside and near the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in government-controlled Vidrodzhennia and near Lysychansk. The SMM facilitated and monitored a transfer of persons convicted before the conflict from non-government- to government-controlled areas in Luhansk region. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at non-government-controlled checkpoints near Zaichenko and Verkhnoshyrokivske...

On 25 July at 06:39 (Moscow time), the eighty-third Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 9 vehicles were checked by Russian Federation border guards and customs officers prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All 9 vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 13:46 on 25 July...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. A boy was injured due to the detonation of an explosive device in Khrestivka and a girl was injured due to shelling in Pervomaisk, reportedly on 15 and 20 July. The Mission saw recent damage caused by shelling to a Cultural House in Pikuzy and to a residential building in Pervomaisk, reportedly on 20 July. Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM continued to monitor the operation of a shuttle bus service in government-controlled areas north of the bridge. It observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. An SMM UAV spotted the presence of a train and aerial imagery revealed the presence of vehicle tracks and a trench extension near the border with the Russian Federation. The SMM saw anti-tank mines, some for the first time, near Krasnohorivka, Staromykhailivka, Marinka and the Trudivski area of Donetsk city’s Petrovskyi district. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate the operation of critical civilian infrastructure, including the drilling of wells in Raivka. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a checkpoint near non-government-controlled Shevchenko and in Nova Marivka.

Developing effective methods of providing assistance to the victims of human trafficking was the central topic discussed at an OSCE roundtable meeting in Ashgabat on 23 July 2019.

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The Mission saw fresh damage caused by shelling to a civilian property in Olenivka, reportedly ten days ago. • Small-arms fire was directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near Chermalyk and at an SMM mid-range UAV near Berezivske. • Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM continued to monitor the operation of a shuttle bus service in government-controlled areas north of the bridge. • The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to critical civilian infrastructure, including repairs to power lines near Betmanove. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a checkpoint near non-government-controlled Zaichenko and Shevchenko.

KAMENSK-SHAKHTINSKIY, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week.

MARIUPOL, 23 July 2019 – Following up on their report of 8 July 2019, the Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, Kyriakos Hadjiyianni (MP, Cyprus) and former chair Margareta Kiener Nellen (MP, Switzerland) held a series of meetings yesterday in Mariupol related to the humanitarian situation in the heavily conflict impacted region of southeast Ukraine...