News and press releases

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region between the evenings of 27 and 28 April, compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 28 and 29 April, it recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske and the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas; its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including in Izvaryne, Kadiivka and Voznesenivka.* Members of the armed formations told an SMM patrol that it would be detained if it did not comply with requests to inspect SMM vehicles at a checkpoint north of Horlivka*. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM observed damage in residential areas in Pikuzy and Bila Hora and followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Dokuchaievsk and Donetsk city. It continued to facilitate access to the Donetsk Filtration Station for Voda Donbassa employees and heard ceasefire violations in the area, including by a multiple launch rocket system, despite security guarantees. The SMM also continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka and confirmed that Vodafone services had been restored in several non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region. It visited two border areas outside of government control. In Odessa, the SMM monitored a gathering at the Duke of Richelieu monument...

An OSCE-supported roundtable discussion on Kazakhstan’s new Environmental Code concluded on 28 April 2018 in Astana...

THE HAGUE, 30 April 2018 – The deadline for receiving nominations for the Max van der Stoel Award 2018 has been extended to 14 May 2018. The award of 50,000 euros recognizes extraordinary and outstanding achievements in improving the position of national minorities in the OSCE participating States...

At 14:00 on 28 April 2018, at a checkpoint north of Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk) six armed members of the armed formations stopped an SMM patrol, comprising two armoured vehicles and five members travelling from government- to non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region. They demanded to inspect the trunks of the SMM vehicles; the patrol complied with the request...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian injured by a mine blast near Yasne. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas; its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including to a weapons holding area not under government control.* Small arms were fired near an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near Novoluhanske, assessed as targeting the UAV.* Near Bohdanivka and Talakivka SMM UAVs were jammed.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It continued to facilitate access to the Donetsk Filtration Station for Voda Donbassa employees and heard ceasefire violations in the area despite security guarantees. It also continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka and at a pumping station near Artema. The SMM facilitated damage assessments and repair works carried out by Vodafone employees in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region, which resulted in restoration of the signal in these areas...

Rome/Vienna, 27 April 2018- OSCE Chairperson-in-office and Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano and OSCE Seretary General Thomas Greminger welcomed today the announcement of a peace treaty to be signed by the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea before the end of the year and the commitment of the two states to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The SMM recorded similar numbers of ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission observed damage to civilian properties caused by shelling in Zolote-5. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as at a checkpoint near Kreminets.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Kostiantynivka, Bakhmut, Vodiane, Bohoiavlenka and Popasna. The Mission saw anti-tank mines near Novotoshkivske and Zholobok for the first time and, again, in a non-government-controlled area south of the bridge near Shchastia. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka, and to facilitate access to the Donetsk Filtration Station for Voda Donbassa employees. It also facilitated damage assessments carried out by Vodafone employees in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region. The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. The Mission monitored two gatherings in Kyiv and followed up on reports of damage to two bank office branches in Lviv. The SMM continued to monitor the situation at a church in Ptycha, Rivne region, following reports of an incident on 2 April...