News and press releases

On 18 July 2016 the Observation Team (OT) of the Observation Mission at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP) observed a Russian Federation Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) truck (a white Kamaz with official black registration plates) entering Donetsk BCP at 05:15 from the Russian Federation side...

Montenegro, on 15 June 2016, became the 34th State party to the Convention on Conciliation and Arbitration within the OSCE. The Convention provides mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes between States parties to the Convention and/or OSCE participating States...

KYIV, 17 July 2016 – The Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, today on the second anniversary of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 tragedy, said that disaster once again reminds all of us of the heavy toll that civilians pay in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, and in all armed conflicts...

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded a slightly higher number of ceasefire violations including nearly 400 explosions, compared to the previous reporting period, with violence focused in the Avdiivka/Yasynuvata area, and Shyrokyne. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded a high number of ceasefire violations compared to none during the previous reporting period, noting a sharp increase of violence, including over 550 explosions on the night of 14 July in the area of Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis in Marinka, Maiorsk, Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city and in Stanytsia Luhanska. It followed up on reports about civilian casualties in Staromykhailivka and Zaitseve. Armed “LPR” members repeatedly denied the SMM access to Stanytsia Luhanska bridge...*

Berlin/Vienna, 16 July 2016 –Chairperson-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier both expressed deep concern after the attempted military coup in Turkey.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded a higher number of ceasefire violations compared to the previous reporting period, with violence focused around Svitlodarsk, Avdiivka, Yasynuvata, and Shyrokyne. In Luhansk region, however, for the first time in four days, the Mission recorded no ceasefire violations. The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis in Horlivka, Vozdvyzhenka, and Novotoshkivske. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure in Shumy, Kirove, and near Pryshyb. The Mission monitored also the withdrawal of weapons, and observed a stockpile of MLRS rockets north of Mariupol. The SMM continued noting long queues at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. Its freedom of movement was restricted on four occasions, all in areas outside government control.* The SMM observed the arrival of the new Russian Federation contingent to the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) at a border crossing point in Kharkiv region...

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations compared to the previous reporting period, with violence focused around Donetsk city, Yasynuvata, and Shyrokyne. In Luhansk region for the fourth consecutive day, the SMM continued to record a high number of overnight ceasefire violations in government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis in Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city, in Kamianka and in Stanytsia Luhanska. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure in Slovianoserbsk, Pryshyb and Krasnyi Lyman. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons. The SMM noted long queues at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. Its freedom of movement was restricted on three occasions, including at a border crossing point, all in areas outside government control. The SMM followed up on reports of smuggling of grenades and explosives in Kharkiv region’s border area. In Odessa it observed three Polish citizens blocked inside a hotel by self-defence activists...