News and press releases

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. Small-arms fire was directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas. The SMM observed weapons in violation of the agreed withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Verkhnoshyrokivske and Valianivske.* An SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle again spotted vehicles in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region moving on a dirt road in the middle of the night away from and towards the border with the Russian Federation where there are no border crossing facilities. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station; it also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to critical civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a gathering in relation to public service and economy and observed it disperse peacefully...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. Small arms were again fired near an SMM patrol and towards an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle near Mykolaivka Druha. The Mission observed weapons in violation of the agreed withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka, Novoazovsk, Zaichenko and Siedove, near the border with the Russian Federation.* The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. It also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to and maintenance of critical infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, repairs to the phenol sludge reservoir near Zalizne, as well as demining in the area of Zolote-2/Karbonit. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a gathering in relation to electoral legislation...

VIENNA, 17 October 2018 – Greater international co-operation can counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, said speakers at today’s meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), which focused on the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 within the OSCE region...

MINSK, 17 October 2018 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Martin Sajdik, made the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG and its Working Groups in Minsk on 16 October 2018:...

VIENNA, 17 October 2018 – Security threats, migration, conflict prevention and regional engagement were the focus of the League of Arab States- OSCE high-level workshop held today in Vienna...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous 24 hours. In Zolote-5/Mykhailivka, the SMM continued to follow up on two fatalities caused by shelling. The Mission observed damage caused by shelling in a residential area of Zolote-4/Rodina. The SMM heard and saw explosions and heard small-arms fire near the SMM inside the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and saw newly dug trenches in the Petrivske disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Zaichenko, Verkhnoshyrokivske, Bezimenne, Volnovakha and at a railway station in Voznesenivka, near the border with the Russian Federation.* The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable demining in Zolote 2/Karbonit. The Mission monitored events related to the Defender of Ukraine Day in Dnipro. In Kyiv, the SMM followed up on reports that a large number of people had been detained near the Pecherska Lavra...

The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week...