News and press releases

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region between the evenings of 7 and 8 September, compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 8 and 9 September, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM followed up on reports of fresh damage caused by gunfire in a residential area of Maiorsk. The Mission observed that the entry-exit checkpoint near Stanytsia Luhanska re-opened following construction and repair works and civilians have resumed crossing. The SMM saw multiple launch rocket systems in violation of withdrawal lines near Khrustalnyi. It saw, for the first time, a mine and a hand grenade near Verkhnoshyrokivske. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside and near the Zolote disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in the disengagement areas as well as near Verkhnoshyrokivske, Yuzhna-Lomuvatka and Khrustalnyi.* The Mission continued to monitor the situation around the Donetsk Filtration Station, which has been non-operational since 6 September due to a power outage. In Lviv, the SMM monitored a public gathering outside the regional court of appeals. The SMM continued to follow up on reports of hazardous air pollution south-east of Kherson that had reportedly originated from a nearby chemical plant.

WARSAW, 10 September 2018 – The need to address today’s security challenges means the defence and promotion of human rights are more important than ever, speakers said today at the opening of the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw.

TIRASPOL, 10 September 2018- The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process, Franco Frattini, handed over the first Moldovan neutral-design licence plates to first applicants at a Vehicle Registration Office (VRO) in Tiraspol today. Frattini is visiting Moldova on 9 and 10 September to mark a new milestone achieved by the Sides in the Transdniestrian Settlement Process...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission saw multiple launch rocket systems in violation of withdrawal lines. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, and again near Zaichenko and Novoazovsk.* The Mission continued to monitor the situation at the closed entry-exit checkpoint near Stanytsia Luhanska where it saw that construction and repair works were ongoing. The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. It also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to water infrastructure near Pervomaisk and Krasnyi Lyman.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. An SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle spotted at least five burned down houses in Zaitseve. The Mission recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area. It saw fortification works to a new military position of the Ukrainian Armed Forces inside the Zolote disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, at a permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region and again in Verkhnoshyrokivske.* The Mission continued to monitor the situation at the closed entry-exit checkpoint near Stanytsia Luhanska where it saw that construction works were ongoing. The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. It also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to water infrastructure near Zolote. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored two public gatherings in front of the Parliament building. The Mission also followed up on reports of hazardous chemical air pollution in southern areas of Kherson region.

The OSCE Presence in Albania, in co-operation with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Office in Albania, launched a call on 7 September 2018 for researchers to undertake research projects on transitional justice in Albania.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Institute for Gender Equality organized a two-day regional meeting in Sarajevo on the importance of data collection on violence against women in the Western Balkan region...