News and press releases

The OSCE Best Practice Guide on Deactivation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) was the focus of a two-day regional workshop organized by the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre and the Ministry of Defence of Belarus on 16 and 17 April 2019...

Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM saw fresh damage caused by gunfire to two apartments in Dokuchaievsk. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area and again saw mines inside the Petrivske disengagement area. The SMM observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both side of the contact line. The Mission saw upgrades at the entry-exit checkpoints in Hnutove and Maiorsk. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including close to the pumping station near Vasylivka, which reportedly resumed its operations. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. The Mission was also restricted at checkpoints in non-government-controlled Zaichenko, Lukove, Tavrycheske and Bezimenne, as well as at a railway station in and a border crossing point outside government control near Voznesenivka.

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...

VIENNA, 16 April 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today expressed his concern regarding the legislative amendments introducing a liability for distribution of foreign print media on the territory of the Russian Federation without the permission of the authorities...

Experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented ODIHR’s final report on the 7 October 2018 general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina during a visit to Sarajevo on 15 and 16 April 2019.

BRATISLAVA, 16 April 2019 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Slovak Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajčák stated today that constructive dialogue and concrete, small steps in confidence-building are needed to keep the positive momentum in the Transdniestrian settlement process.

Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 12 and 13 April, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. Compared with the previous 24 hours, between the evenings of 13 and 14 April, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. The Mission followed up on reports of a man injured by the explosion of a damaged cartridge in Dmytrivka. It saw fresh damage caused by gunfire in a residential area of Chermalyk. Small-arms fire was directed at SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicles near Prymorske, Vershyna and Heivka.* The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines near Vynohradne. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. In addition, the Mission was denied access at a heavy weapons holding area in a government-controlled area of Donetsk region and at a checkpoint near non-government-controlled Starolaspa.