News and press releases

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.

MOSCOW, 15 April 2019- On 15 April, the Foreign Ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia – Sergey Lavrov, Elmar Mammadyarov, and Zohrab Mnatsakanyan – held a working meeting in Moscow at the initiative of the Russian side. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Andrew Schofer of the United States of America, and Stéphane Visconti of France), as well as Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk, joined the meeting...

The first debating competition among universities from across Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) was organized by the OSCE Mission to BiH, in co-operation with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, the Students’ Union of the Dzemal Bijedic University of Mostar, the Gorgija Debating Club of the University of Zenica. The event was held at the Faculty of Law of the Dzemal Bijedic University from 12 to 14 April 2019 in Mostar...

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Office of the Prosecutor General and the Judicial Academy of the Czech Republic have agreed to co-operate in enhancing the ability of prosecutors to recognize and prosecute hate crimes in the country, ODIHR and Czech officials announced on 15 April 2019.

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe conducted a two-day training course for 28 young men and women, youth representatives of seven registered political parties of Tajikistan, on 12 and 13 April 2019 in Dushanbe...

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe donated computer equipment to the Training Centre of the Committee of Emergency Situation and Civil Defence of Tajikistan on 12 April 2019 in Dushanbe...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM followed up on reports of a woman injured due to shelling in Staromykhailivka on 8 April and the death of a member of State Emergency Services near Maiorsk on 9 April. The Mission saw fresh damage from shelling in Zolote-3/Stakhanovets and fresh impact craters near populated areas in Orlivka. Shots were fired close to the Mission near a compound of the armed formations in Smile on 11 April. The SMM recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas near Zernove, Michurine, Smile and Starolaspa. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line. It heard ceasefire violations while monitoring adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to a water pipe near Kruta Balka. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere. The Mission was also denied access at two heavy weapons holding areas in non-government areas of Donetsk region, at a compound near Smile and near Izvaryne close to the border with the Russian Federation...