News and press releases

On 4 February, an SMM patrol consisting of five members and two armoured vehicles was positioned near a checkpoint of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, approximately 300m north of the disengagement area near Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk), to monitor the security situation.

Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 1 and 2 February, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. Compared with the previous 24 hours, between the evenings of 2 and 3 February, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM observed fresh damage from small-arms fire to a school and a house in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside and near the Zolote disengagement area, as well as near the Petrivske disengagement area. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk region. The Mission continued to observe long queues of civilians waiting to travel to government-controlled areas at checkpoints in Kreminets and near Olenivka. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas as well as near Zaichenko and Bezimenne and in Voznesenivka, close to the border with the Russian Federation and as well as at a heavy weapons holding area in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region...

VIENNA, 4 February 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today expressed his concern regarding a court verdict to terminate the activity of the newspaper Novye Kolesa Igorya Rudnikova in Kaliningrad...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and fewer in Luhansk region. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote and Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to and operations of essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM observed fresh impact craters in Kriakivka and Molodizhne as the result of shelling. The SMM observed a ceasefire violation inside the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission saw weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to and operations of essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas as well as in non-government-controlled Izvaryne and Sievernyi, areas near the border with the Russian Federation...

VIENNA, 1 February 2019 – Although there was a decrease in the level of violence following a recommitment to the ceasefire on the occasion of the New Year/Christmas festivities, an increase in ceasefire violations in recent weeks has again brought more suffering to civilians living along the contact line, the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), Ertugrul Apakan, said in his address to the OSCE Permanent Council today in Vienna...

ATHENS, 1 February 2019 – A two-day regional conference on preventing trafficking in human beings through government procurement practices and measures, with a focus on the Balkan region, concluded yesterday in Athens, Greece...