News and press releases

The SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and observed ceasefire violations near all three areas. The SMM’s access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including at a heavy weapons holding area in a government controlled area and in Siedove near the border with the Russian Federation.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line near Talakivka, Pryvilne, Kachkarske, Novooleksandrivka and Miusynsk. The SMM visited a border area not under government control. In Kyiv, the SMM continued to monitor a gathering in front of the Cabinet of Ministers building. In Chernivtsi region, the Mission monitored a gathering to mark the opening of a new building at a school where the predominant language of instruction is Romanian.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and observed a calm situation in each one. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including at a weapons permanent storage site and in Novolaspa in areas outside government control in Donetsk region.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Roty. The Mission visited four border areas not under government control. In Kyiv city, the SMM monitored gatherings in front of the Council of Ministers building. In Odessa city, the Mission followed up on media reports of stickers placed on the main doors of churches. In Lviv region, it monitored a protest at the international border crossing point near Shehyni...

VIENNA, 11 January 2018 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir welcomed today’s ruling by Turkey’s Constitutional Court to release two journalists, calling it a step of vital importance in improving media freedom and freedom of expression in the country...

WARSAW, 11 January 2018 – Today, on the 16th anniversary of the opening of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), reiterated her Office’s calls for the facility’s prompt closure...

VIENNA, 11 January 2018 – Addressing the crisis in and around Ukraine, the protracted conflicts, the security of the Mediterranean region, and the challenges of migration, including by combating human trafficking and all forms of xenophobia and discrimination, are among Italy’s OSCE Chairmanship priorities, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Italy’s Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano told the Permanent Council in Vienna today...

WARSAW, 10 January 2018- Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), today voiced serious concerns regarding the arrest and detention of Oyub Titiev, Director of the Memorial Human Rights Centre in Chechnya, in the North Caucasus republic of the Russian Federation, yesterday...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission observed shrapnel damage to a building in Pikuzy. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and observed infantry fighting vehicles inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere.* The Mission observed a weapon in violation of withdrawal lines near Oleksandropillia. An SMM unmanned aerial vehicle spotted fallen power lines and an extended trench in Zaitseve. The Mission visited two border areas not under government control. It monitored the administrative boundary line between Kherson region and Crimea and noted a calm situation...