News and press releases

VIENNA, 11 May 2018- “The Italian OSCE Chairmanship welcomes the recent positive developments in the Transdniestrian Settlement Process and commends the Sides, as well as all involved partners, for this progress. We will be pleased to host the next round of the 5+2 meetings on 29 and 30 May in Rome, and are hopeful that we will see further positive steps that will bring more benefits to the lives of people on both banks of the Nistru/Dniester River,” Ambassador Alessandro Azzoni, Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council, announced during a session of the Council on 10 May.

The SMM recorded a sharp increase in ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer ceasefire violations in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission observed damage as a result of shelling in Loskutivka. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote and inside the Petrivske disengagement areas. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including in Dovhe and near Izvaryne in Luhansk region, at the border with the Russian Federation.*

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission observed a fresh impact site on the eastern edge of Popasna. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including near Voznesenivka in Luhansk region, at the border with the Russian Federation*.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. It recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske disengagement area and its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including at a border area near Izvaryne (near the border with the Russian Federation)*. The SMM continued to facilitate access to the Donetsk Filtration Station for Voda Donbassa employees and heard ceasefire violations in the area, despite security guarantees. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to high-voltage power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka, Almazna and Veselohorivka, and to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema.

On 8 May 2018 at 06:57 (Moscow time), the seventy-fourth Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 16 vehicles were checked by Russian Federation border guards and customs officers prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All 16 vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 13:53 on 8 May...

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. 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...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions between the evenings of 4 and 5 May compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 5 and 6 May, it recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer ceasefire violations in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM observed the impact of a projectile at the entry-exit checkpoint in Pyshchevyk.