News and press releases

The situation in Mariupol and the surrounding area raises concern due to increased military activity, primarily to the east of Mariupol city. Reportedly, heavy fighting in the area of Shyrokyne (24km east of Mariupol city) and Bezimenne (34km east of Mariupol city) is taking place. Local residents are nervous and fear that Mariupol may be attacked soon.

In Kharkiv the monument to Cossack Ataman Ivan Sirko, which had been inaugurated on 23 August 2014, was vandalised during the night of 2 September. Footage of the monument painted green was circulated in the local media...

MOSCOW, 4 September 2014 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) urged Russia to play a constructive role in the Ukrainian crisis and abide by OSCE commitments during meetings in Moscow today with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matvienko...

A working group of professional legal trainers gathered on 3 September 2014 in Tatariv, in Ukraine’s western Ivano-Frankivsk region, to begin developing a national standard for judicial education on how to apply the European Convention on Human Rights and case-law of the Strasbourg Court in national legal practice...

In Donetsk the SMM heard renewed shelling in the city and mortar fire coming from within the airport area. In Mariupol local authorities are stepping up efforts to protect the city.

KAMENSK-SHAKHTINSKY, Russian Federation, 3 September 2014- The Observer Mission (OM) is operating at full capacity. Cross-border traffic flow remained steady at both Border Crossing Points. However, the OM observed a clear reversal in the flow of people crossing the border (more people exiting the Russian Federation into Ukraine). The OM observed an increased military activity principally of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the vicinity of the Border Crossing Points. The OM heard considerable artillery detonations from the Donetsk Border Crossing Point...

VIENNA, 3 September 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović said today she was appalled to learn about the death of Russian photographer Andrei Stenin, and she urged the Ukrainian authorities to investigate the circumstances of his death.