News and press releases

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Dokuchaievsk and observed damage to a civilian house in Dokuchaievsk as a result of shelling. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including at a checkpoint near Kreminets. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM revisited permanent storage sites and observed weapons missing, including for the first time. The SMM observed mines, and new unexploded ordnance (UXO) and improvised explosive devices, including near Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to electricity lines near Maiorsk...

Vienna, 24 April 2018 – OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Madina Jarbussynova urged today OSCE participating States to capitalize on the best practices and many successful multi-disciplinary and multi-agency programmes at local and national levels highlighted at this year’s conference.

Gender mainstreaming in the parliament of Montenegro was the focus of a training course organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro in co-operation with the Parliamentary Committee for Gender Equality on 23 and 24 April 2018 in Podgorica...

CHISINAU, 24 April 2018 – An agreement on the mechanism for the participation of vehicles from Transdniestria in international road traffic was signed by the Chief Negotiators from Chisinau and Tiraspol today...

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe donated two modern desktop computers, two notebooks, one printer and one professional digital video camera to the press centre of Tajikistan’s Interior Ministry on 20 April 2018 in Dushanbe.

Some 50 representatives of state institutions, civil society, and the international community gathered for a public debate, organized by the OSCE Mission to Skopje and the Labour and Social Policy Ministry, on the new draft law on prevention and protection against discrimination on 23 April 2018 in Skopje...

Between the evenings of 20 and 21 April, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 21 and 22 April, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM observed fresh damage caused by gunfire or shelling in Pikuzy and Sakhanka, and impact sites in Popasna. Operations at the Donetsk Filtration Station resumed following facilitation by the SMM of access of Voda Donbassa employees to the station, however, the SMM heard ceasefire violations in the area despite security guarantees having been provided. The SMM also continued to facilitate and monitor repairs of a high-voltage powerline near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and it recorded ceasefire violations assessed as inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including in areas outside government control near the border with the Russian Federation.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. Civilians expressed frustration due to the long waiting time at entry-exit checkpoints near Marinka, Kreminets and Olenivka.