News and press releases

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the activities of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The SMM visited the border crossing point between Ukraine and the Russian Federation in Novoazovsk (122km south of Donetsk).

On 5 November, at 18:02hrs, a Ukrainian military representative from the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) in Debaltseve informed the SMM about shelling and fatalities on Stepanenko Street, three kilometres north-west of the city centre of Donetsk. On 6 and 7 November the SMM visited the site of the reported incident, where it identified ten craters. Nearby shelling forced the SMM to leave the area.

The provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum, and in particular the activities of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), remained the focus of the SMM’s monitoring activities. There was intense shelling in Donetsk city, whilst Mariupol and its surroundings remained calm...

VIENNA, 6 November 2014 – When addressing the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna today, the co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) stressed that the Geneva process is the only platform bringing together all stakeholders to discuss security-related issues and to work on the humanitarian needs of the conflict-affected population. The co-chairs urged participants in the GID to work constructively in order to achieve progress in addressing the consequences of the 2008 conflict in Georgia...

SARAJEVO, 6 November 2014 – Sharing information and solutions to reduce flood risk, and enhancing cross-border cooperation in mitigating risk and flood protection was the focus of a two-day regional conference that concluded in Sarajevo today. The conference was organized by the Security Ministry of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the OSCE Mission to BiH, the UNDP Office in BiH and the RACVIAC-Centre for Security Co-operation...

Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) is operating at full capacity. Cross-border traffic flows slowed down slightly at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs) and the total number of border-crossings was the lowest since August. As in previous weeks, more people left than entered the Russian Federation (RF) at the two observed BCPs. The OM continued to observe a considerable number of persons in military-style clothing, some of them apparently belonging to Cossack units, crossing the border in both directions. However, their numbers also decreased from the previous weeks. Three Russian convoys crossed into Ukraine at the Donetsk BCP...

The provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum as well as the activities of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination remained at the focus of SMM monitoring. In Donetsk and Luhansk the situation remained tense. In Donetsk the SMM heard shelling from the northern outskirts of the city...