News and press releases

BRUSSELS, 27 February 2015 – Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, spoke on the phone today with the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić.

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk agreements”. The SMM monitored movement of heavy weapons in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

VIENNA, 27 February 2015 – All sides in eastern Ukraine must continue to fulfil in good faith their obligations under the Minsk Package of Measures, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić said today in Vienna following a meeting with the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier and the permanent representatives of the two other Troika members – Ambassadors Thomas Greminger of Switzerland and Rüdiger Lüdeking of Germany.

VIENNA, 26 February 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today said recent measures limiting some Russian journalists to fulfil their professional activities in Ukraine are excessive...

VIENNA, 25 February 2015 – Representatives of Ukrainian and Russian journalists’ unions today called for an end to impunity for killings and attacks on journalists, following a meeting in Vienna under the auspices of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. The unions’ representatives also urged all members of the media not to take part in the ongoing information war in the conflict in and around Ukraine...

On 22 February 2015 at 13:15hrs, an explosion occurred at a pro-Maidan march commemorating the anniversary of February 2014 events in Kharkiv (during which three people died in demonstrations), outside the Palace of Sports on Marshal Zhukova Street (7km east of the city centre). The SMM, who were monitoring the commemoration, heard the blast and felt shockwaves from their position 100m away. The SMM arrived at the scene of the explosion at 13:20hrs, and saw two dead individuals covered with Ukrainian flags and casualties being attended to. The SMM noted the explosion caused no damage to nearby buildings or windows. At 14:45hrs, a police spokesperson and a representative of the prosecutor’s office gave a press conference at the scene, confirming that an explosive device killed two (one police officer, and one civilian taking part in the march) and injured eleven, six of whom were police officers.

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk agreements”. The SMM, based on its monitoring – which was restricted by third parties and security considerations – noted that fighting continued in and around Donetsk airport and Shyrokyne and, to a lesser extent, in a number of other locations.