News and press releases

The SMM recorded a lower number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region over the weekend compared to the number recorded on Friday, although violations continued to be recorded in large numbers along the contact line. Fewer violations were recorded in Luhansk region. The Mission came under small-arms fire in the government-controlled part of Zaitseve. The SMM carried out crater analysis in a number of locations near the contact line. Weapons continued to be absent from holding sites. In Luhansk city the SMM observed a number of weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines. The Mission monitored non-government-controlled parts of the border, and it was denied access to one area. The freedom of movement of the SMM was restricted mainly in areas not under government control.* The SMM observed a number of violent clashes in Odessa...

MOSTAR, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 11 April 2016- Ambassadors and representatives of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council and other colleagues from the international community, led by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), concluded a visit today to the municipalities of Prozor-Rama and Čapljina.

VIENNA, 11 April 2016 – Preventing the exploitation of human trafficking victims through forced criminality is the focus of the 2016 Alliance conference, a two-day forum where leading experts from governmental as well as non-governmental organizations will discuss how to tackle this complex form of abuse.

VIENNA, 11 April 2016 – On the 17th anniversary of the murder of prominent journalist Slavko Ćuruvija, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today called on the government of Serbia to end impunity for crimes committed against journalists...

On 9 April, an SMM patrol, comprised of five members in two armoured vehicles, was in Zhovanka, a government-controlled part of Zaitseve (50km north-east of Donetsk). The patrol was accompanied by the Ukrainian Armed Forces head of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) office in Toretsk...

In Donetsk region, the SMM observed a significantly higher number of ceasefire violations. In Luhansk region a low number of ceasefire violations were recorded. The Mission continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and noted weapons in violation. It observed craters and other damage caused by shelling. The SMM noted that the only entry-exit checkpoint for civilians in Luhansk region, at Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, was closed. The Mission visited two border crossing points in areas not controlled by the Government, despite denials of access in these areas. It encountered other freedom-of-movement restrictions in non-government-controlled areas.* The SMM monitored a court hearing and sentencing in Kyiv, as well as a public demonstration outside the Presidential Administration building...

BISHKEK, 9 April, 2016 – Thirty-five young people gathered in Bishkek today for the start of a two-day Model OSCE conference, simulating a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, to discuss challenges to cross-border water management in Central Asia...