News and press releases

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. Two members of the State Emergency Services of Ukraine injured and one reportedly dead after the detonation of an explosive device near Maiorsk. The SMM observed damage from mortar rounds to residential houses in Trokhizbenka and damage from gunfire to residential houses in Pikuzy. It recorded ceasefire violations and military presence inside the Petrivske and Zolote disengagement areas, as well as mines seen for the first time in the Petrivske disengagement area. The SMM observed long queues of civilians at a checkpoint near Olenivka and saw that the entry-exit checkpoint in Hnutove had re-opened. The Mission observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM observed, for the first time, mines and unexploded ordnance near Krasnohorivka and Debaltseve. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure and demining activities in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere. In addition, the Mission was denied access near non-government-controlled Shevchenko, Hryhorivka and Novoazovsk...

MINSK, 10 April 2019 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Martin Sajdik, made the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG and its Working Groups in Minsk on 10 April 2019:...

Current trends and challenges in securing and managing borders were highlighted at the two-day 13th Annual Meeting of the OSCE Border Security and Management National Focal Points Network, which concluded on 10 April 2019 in Bratislava.

VIENNA, 10 April 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, denounced the search conducted on 9 April in the editorial office of the Belsat TV channel in Minsk, Belarus. He called on the authorities to exercise restraint in bringing libel charges against media and journalists, and reiterated his call on the authorities to decriminalize defamation.

BISHKEK, 10 April 2019 – Marking the 20th anniversary of OSCE presence in Kyrgyzstan during his visit to Bishkek yesterday, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovakia’s Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák emphasized the strong Kyrgyz-OSCE partnership and close collaboration on promoting good governance, strengthening democratic institutions and reforming the electoral system.

Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. A man and a woman were injured by an explosive device in Verkhnotoretske. The Mission observed fresh damage from small-arms fire to a functioning hospital in Donetsk city. The SMM observed fresh craters and unexploded ordnance in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka and mines and unexploded ordnance near Dolmitne and Novotroitske. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. 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 border crossing point near non-government-controlled Dovzhanske...

VIENNA, 10 April 2019 – How technology can be developed, harmonized and deployed to help combat all forms of human trafficking was the focus of the two-day 2019 OSCE Alliance against Trafficking in Persons Conference, which concluded in Vienna yesterday. More than 400 practitioners from across the OSCE’s 57 participating States and the Partners for Co-operation took part...