News and press releases

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Yasne and Trudivski area of Donetsk city’s Petrovskyi district and observed fresh damage caused by gunfire in the Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city. An SMM unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) recorded soldiers pointing rifles and firing towards the UAV near Katerynivka; another UAV was jammed near Bohdanivka.* The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the disengagement areas near Zolote and Petrivske. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including at border areas beyond government control in Luhansk region. The SMM observed weapons in violation in Roty and Klynove. The SMM continued to facilitate access to the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) for Voda Donbassa water company employees; it heard ceasefire violations in the general area despite security guarantees. It also continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to high-voltage power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka. The Mission monitored gatherings marking International Labour Day in several regions of Ukraine. In Odessa, the SMM followed up on reports of an attack against the head of a pro-Maidan group...

ACCRA, 2 May 2018- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today issued the 2018 Joint Declaration on Freedom of Expression, together with the other international rapporteurs on freedom of expression, at a high-level meeting organised by UNESCO in Accra, Ghana, to mark the World Press Freedom Day 2018 on 3 May. This year’s Joint Declaration focuses on “media independence and diversity in the digital age”...

THE HAGUE, 2 May 2018 – Internationally renowned experts, ministers, OSCE and UN representatives will gather on 31 May in Oslo, Norway, to debate the tools developed and promoted by the OSCE and its partner organizations on language policy as a means of conflict prevention...

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs)...

VIENNA, 2 May 2018- The importance of national export control systems and deactivation programmes as essential instruments in preventing the destabilising accumulation and uncontrolled spread of small arms and light weapons (SALW) was emphasized by speakers at today’s OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation meeting in Vienna, held under Slovenia’s Chairmanship...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian injured by small-arms fire in Olenivka. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote and Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines. It continued to facilitate access to the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) for Voda Donbassa employees and continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to high-voltage power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka. In Kharkiv and Kyiv, the SMM monitored public gatherings. In Kyiv, the SMM followed up on reports of alleged arson on 21 April in a camp set up and inhabited by Roma community members...

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...