News and press releases

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. Small arms were fired in the direction of an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near Zaitseve and an SMM long-range UAV was jammed near Horlivka. The SMM followed up on reports of two civilian casualties, in Vozdvyzhenka and in an area close to the contact line. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near all three disengagement areas. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and was also restricted near Siedove, an area in Donetsk region near the border with the Russian Federation. The SMM monitored the security situation and successfully facilitated the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS), as well as of repair works to the DFS and demining activities around the station. Due to ceasefire violations registered in the area and the presence of explosive devices near the DFS, the Mission decided to suspend and review its facilitation of the physical access of DFS employees through enhanced SMM presence. It continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to the Petrivske pumping station in Artema.

VIENNA, 6 June 2018- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today condemned the killing of journalist and videographer (or vlogger) Zachary Stoner, who was fatally shot on 30 May in Chicago, United States. Stoner published videos on his YouTube page called “zacktv1”, which has 170,000 videos and more than 180,000 subscribers. Stoner’s videos focused on the realities of life in his community and hip hop artists in Chicago.

KYIV, 6 June 2018 – Ceasefire violations continue around the Donetsk Filtration Station in eastern Ukraine, says the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, Ertugrul Apakan...

OSCE participating States should step up their efforts to ensure the effective and meaningful participation of Roma and Sinti in public and political life, said participants at the consultation workshop organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw on 5

A new OSCE-supported online tool, a handbook designed to help drug enforcement officials to increase the number of arrests of drug smugglers, was launched at the premises of the Council of Europe on 6 June 2018 in Strasbourg, France...

While finding that the 4 March 2018 parliamentary elections in Italy were conducted in a professional manner and characterized by a high level of public confidence in the election administration, the final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) recommends

On 6 June 2018, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) published the final report  on the 18 March 2018 presidential election in the Russian Federation.  The report recommends that, in order to improve the electoral process, national legislation