News and press releases

The OSCE Programme Office in Astana and the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Office of the United States Embassy in Astana organized a visit to London from 24 to 26 July 2018 for eight officials from Kazakhstan to study the United Kingdom’s experience in introducing the Advanced Passenger Information Exchange System (API) and the Passenger Name Recorder (PNR)...

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 decreased at both BCPs compared to the previous week...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region, compared with the last 24 hours. Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle in Artema. The Mission’s access remained restricted in the Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas, as well as near Bezimenne, Zaichenko, Novoazovsk and Hranitne.* The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to critical civilian infrastructure near Artema, Stanytsia Luhanska, Novotoshkivske, in Zolote-3 and Zolote-5. The SMM monitored a pre-trial hearing in Kherson, a planned appellate court hearing in Odessa and observed a public gathering in Kyiv...

Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Muhammetkaliy Abylgaziev and the Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek Pierre von Arx discussed bilateral co-operation and the implementation of the OSCE programme and project activities in the country, including priority efforts in supporting reforms in the area of anti-corruption and economic development on 2 August 2018, at the Office of the Prime Minister in Bishkek...

Between the evenings of 3 and 4 August, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, compared with the previous reporting period,and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. Between the evenings of 4 and 5 August, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous 24 hours, and for the third consecutive day, no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, where it observed no ceasefire violations. Its access remained restricted in all three areas, as well as near Bezimenne, Zaichenko, Novoazovsk and Yasynuvata, and in Donetsk.*The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period and none in Luhansk region. The Mission followed up on a civilian casualty in Zalizne. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and observed a recently fortified position in the disengagement area near Zolote. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, as well as near Novoazovsk (where the SMM was turned back after waiting for five hours, preventing it from accessing Novoazovsk and the nearby border crossing point on the border with the Russian Federation) and at two border crossing points on the border with the Russian Federation in Luhansk region. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Khrustalnyi, Mius, Vuhlehirsk and Debaltseve. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to a pumping station near Artema...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and observed ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, as well as new firing positions inside the Zolote disengagement area assessed as belonging to Ukrainian Armed Forces. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, as well as near Siedove, Rivnopil and Novoazovsk.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM observed an anti-tank mine for the first time near Novotroitske. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to other essential civilian infrastructure near Artema, Novotoshkivske, Popasna and Stanytsia Luhanska. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a ceremony organized by the Roma community commemorating the victims of the 1941-1943 massacres at Babi Yar. In Lviv, the SMM again observed vandalism of tombs at a Second World War memorial...