News and press releases

An OSCE-supported meeting on the presentation of expert study on freedom of expression and policies to counter incitement of hatred speech took place on 29 May 2019 in Nur-Sultan...

Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. The Mission saw fresh damage from small-arms fire to civilian properties in non-government-controlled Dokuchaievsk and Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas...

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...

Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 24 and 25 May, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. Between the evenings of 25 and 26 May, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure. The SMM saw anti-tank mines for the first time near government-controlled Luhanske. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. The Mission’s freedom of movement was also restricted at border crossing points outside government control near Sievernyi and Izvaryne, and at a checkpoint in non-government-controlled Novoazovsk. The SMM monitored a gathering in front of a church in Tovtry, Chernivtsi region...

BRATISLAVA, 27 May 2019 – Sustainable energy is indispensable for growth, prosperity and security in the OSCE region. Participants of the 2nd Preparatory Meeting of the OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum (EEF) today in Bratislava called for stronger inter-institutional co-operation and an inclusive dialogue among all relevant stakeholders, focused on economic progress and security. They stressed that energy co-operation, good governance and connectivity in the digital era are key prerequisites for a successful energy transition...

More than 140 criminal justice practitioners and representatives of the OSCE participating States, OSCE Partners for Co-operation and international organizations explored how to effectively counter cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime at a conference in Vienna on 24 May organized by the Strategic Police Matters Unit of the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the 2019 Slovak OSCE Chairmanship and the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior...

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. • The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area. • The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to civilian infrastructure. • The SMM facilitated and monitored the transfer of persons convicted before the conflict from non-government- to government-controlled areas in Luhansk region. • The SMM’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere.