News and press releases

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. Small-arms fire was directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near non-government-controlled Vesele in Donetsk region. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and was restricted near Izvaryne, Voznesenivka and Siedove, near the border with the Russian Federation, and near Horlivka. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to other essential civilian infrastructure. In Kyiv, the SMM followed up on an incident at an office where a political party was scheduled to hold a meeting.

VIENNA, 6 July 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today raised concerns regarding the draft law “On changes to some legislative acts of Ukraine on countering threats to national security in the information sphere”, as it may endanger free access to information online...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. In Petrivske, the SMM was forced to drive on a mine-contaminated road by an armed member of the armed formations. The Mission observed shelling impacts in a residential area of Pikuzy. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas.

Spot report

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it again observed military presence inside the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, and was also restricted in Luhansk city and at a heavy weapons permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled part of Luhansk region. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Hirske and Novookhtyrka. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station. It also continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and to the water distribution network in Stanytsia Luhanska. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a gathering outside a patrol police headquarters.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. In Pikuzy, a member of the armed formations fired shots in the general direction of the SMM. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Kuibyshevskyi district of Donetsk city. It observed fresh damage caused by shelling in a residential area of Donetskyi. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three areas as well as in or near the Trudivski area of Donetsk city’s Petrovskyi district, Pokrovka, Kozatske, Donetsk’s Kuibyshevskyi district and near Dovzhanske at the border with the Russian Federation. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near residential areas in Donetskyi. The Mission continued to facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station. It continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema.

The current human rights situation in Crimea and the challenges faced by human rights defenders working on and in Crimea were discussed at an expert meeting on 14 June 2018 in Kherson, Ukraine. The meeting was organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in co-operation with the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.