News and press releases

VIENNA, 16 September 2015 – On the 15th anniversary of the disappearance of prominent Ukrainian journalist Georgyi Gongadze, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, reiterated her call on the authorities to fully investigate the crime. Gongadze went missing on 16 September 2001 and was later found dead outside Kyiv...

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk agreements”. Its monitoring was restricted by the parties and security considerations*. The SMM observed a calm situation both in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM visited a number of schools on both sides of the contact line.

Kyiv, 12 September 2015 – Completing a three-day visit to south-eastern Ukraine, OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier expressed hope that the current cease-fire, which has been largely respected for almost to weeks, will prove durable and provide the necessary impetus to negotiations on the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. “The people of eastern Ukraine are tired of the conflict and deserve a firm commitment from all the sides to achieve sustainable peace”, said Zannier.

KYIV, 9 September 2015 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today formally opened an election observation mission for the 25 October local elections in Ukraine. The mission’s deployment follows an official invitation from the Ukrainian authorities...

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk agreements”. Its monitoring was restricted by the parties and security considerations*. The SMM observed few ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, and none in Luhansk.

The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine welcomes the new impetus for peace provided by the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) that the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Martin Sajdik, announced last week in Minsk, said the SMM’s Chief Monitor, Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, today.

On 31 August beginning at 09:00hrs, the SMM monitored protests in front of the national Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) building in Kyiv. Some 3,000 persons (male and female of all ages) carrying “Svoboda”, “Radical Party” and “Ukrop” flags were protesting against constitutional amendments that were being voted on inside the Parliament. The event was initially peaceful and orderly with no signs of unrest...