News and press releases

Following a recommitment to the ceasefire, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. Three SMM unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were fired at in non-government-controlled areas. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, where it observed calm situations. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and at the Chervona Mohyla railway station near Voznesenivka and at a border crossing point near Voznesenivka (both close to the border with the Russian Federation in Luhansk region), as well as to Novohryhorivka and Verkhnoshyrokivske.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Luhansk city, Topolyne and Berkhivka. The Mission continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM also facilitated repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema. In Kyiv, the Mission continued to monitor a group of people blocking the entrance to a television station.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both 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 assessed as outside the disengagement areas in Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and in Luhansk city, Verkhnoshyrokivske, Staropetrivske and at a border crossing point in Izvaryne, close to the border with the Russian Federation in Luhansk region.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Svitlodarsk, Mykolaivka, Khrustalnyi, and Luhansk city and over 60 anti-tank mines on road M-03 between Svitlodarsk and Nyzhnie Lozove. The Mission continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station. Its unmanned aerial vehicle was fired upon while flying near the station.

Identifying next steps in improving access to identity and civil registration documents for Roma in Ukraine was the focus of an expert meeting organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 29 March 2018 in Kyiv.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission observed damage caused by gunfire to civilian properties in residential areas of Sakhanka and Horlivka, where it also followed up on reports of a civilian casualty. The SMM saw a de-miner injured by an explosion near the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations in the Petrivske disengagement area and observed a soldier carrying a weapon inside the Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Vodiane and Bohoiavlenka. The Mission continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station; it also facilitated repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and to power lines near Semyhiria. In Kyiv, the SMM saw a makeshift memorial outside the Embassy of the Russian Federation honouring the victims of the shopping mall fire in Kemerovo in the Russian Federation...

KYIV, 29 March 2018 – Alexander Hug, the Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), will hold a news briefing on Friday via video link from eastern Ukraine.

On 29 March 2018 at 06:50 (Moscow time), the seventy-third Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 16 vehicles were checked by the Russian border guards and customs services prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All 16 vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 14:26 on 29 March.

TASHKENT, 29 March 2018 – The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Madina Jarbussynova, today concluded a four-day high-level visit to Uzbekistan. The aim of the trip was to discuss the country’s progress in implementing OSCE anti-trafficking commitments since the OSCE Special Representative’s previous visit in November 2013.