News and press releases

ERGNETI, 24 January 2018- The 84th meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held today in Ergneti. The meeting was conducted in an open and positive atmosphere...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Dokuchaievsk. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, where it observed calm situations. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere. The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs of essential infrastructure in Krasnyi Lyman...

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....

MINSK, 24 January 2018 – Concluding three days of meetings in Belarus, Kent Harstedt (MP, Sweden), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on Eastern Europe, called for increased efforts on reforms within the country while welcoming the active engagement of the country in international affairs and mediation...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including near a compound in Donetsk city’s Leninskyi district.* The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure near Artema and in Krasnyi Lyman. It visited three border areas outside of government control.

New ways to effectively co-operate in countering hate crimes were the focus of a training course for 25 police officers and prosecutors from Bulgaria, including 13 women and 12 men, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Sofia on 22 and 23 January 2018.

Between the evenings of 19 and 20 January, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 20 and 21 January, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM saw two men with bullet wounds near a bus station close to a checkpoint near Olenivka. It continued to monitor the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations assessed as inside the Petrivske disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere. Near non-government-controlled Sakhanka, the SMM was verbally assaulted by a visibly intoxicated.* The SMM saw weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM visited three border areas outside of government control.