News and press releases

The SMM recorded fewer explosions in Donetsk region on 26 August (at least 406) compared with the previous reporting period (over 543). The SMM also recorded significantly fewer explosions in Luhansk region (at least eight) compared with the previous day (nearly 200). It followed up on reports of civilian casualties and analysed craters on both sides of the contact line, in Donetsk city, Kostiantynivka, Stanytsia Luhanska, Marinka and Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove). The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and noted the presence of armoured combat vehicles and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the security zone. The SMM monitored the situation of civilians travelling across the contact line at Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, and two border areas not controlled by the Government. It faced two denials to its freedom of movement.* The Mission observed a calm situation along the administrative boundary line with Crimea and observed three public gatherings in Kyiv and the cancellation of a public hearing at the city council in Odessa...

COPENHAGEN, 27 August 2016 – The forced commitment to a psychiatric clinic of Ilmi Umerov represents a worrying new low in Russia’s stigmatization of the Crimean Tatar community and should be immediately reversed, said the Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's human rights committee, Ignacio Sanchez Amor (MP, Spain) today...

MINSK, 26 August 2016- Ambassador Martin Sajdik, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group on the implementation of the peace plan in the East of Ukraine, made the following press statement after today's meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group and its four Working Groups in Minsk today...

Five Ukrainian regional newspapers were selected on 23 August 2016 to benefit from assistance in their transformation from the state-funded to independent media outlets as part of a project implemented by OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine at the request of the State Committee on Television and Radio Broadcasting...

VIENNA, 26 August 2016- A two-week workshop focusing on modern security challenges and border management concluded today at the Federal Academy of Finance of Austria...

KYIV, 26 August 2016 – Challenges such as the lack of employment and inadequate housing that face both internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the host communities in which they live could be major potential triggers for strained relations between the two and lead to secondary displacement, says a new report issued today by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM)...

The SMM recorded more explosions in Donetsk region on 25 August (at least 543) compared with 24 August (over 350). In Luhansk region the SMM recorded a similar number of explosions compared with the previous day. It conducted crater analysis in Molodizhne, Petrovskyi district and Hannivka. The Mission facilitated repairs to essential infrastructure in Obozne and Shchastia. The SMM monitored three border areas not controlled by the Government.* It faced two freedom-of-movement restrictions in areas not controlled by the Government. The Mission observed a calm situation along the administrative boundary line with Crimea. The SMM also followed up on reports of an explosion at an administrative building in Bila Tserkva...