News and press releases

KYIV, 30 March 2019 – The Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, Ertugrul Apakan, expressed his gratitude to all 57 OSCE participating States for their support for the Mission, following a consensus decision yesterday to extend the SMM’s Mandate for another year.

VIENNA, 30 March 2019 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia, Miroslav Lajčák, welcomed yesterday's OSCE Permanent Council decision to renew the mandate of the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) by another year, and called for continued support for the international monitors and national staff on the ground.

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and Luhansk region. The SMM saw fresh damage to a residential building in Chermalyk, as well as fresh craters close to residential buildings in Sentianivka. The Mission saw military presence inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Small-arms were fired in the direction of an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle near Lozove. It observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. In addition, it was restricted at a checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske and near Dovzhanske close to the border with the Russian Federation.*

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. Small-arms fire was directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near Nevelske. Near the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the SMM saw the body of man. The SMM observed ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area. The SMM observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas. The Mission observed mines near checkpoints on both sides of the contact line. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. In addition, it was denied access at a checkpoint near Zaichenko...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM saw fresh craters in Sentianivka and damage to a house in Marinka. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations, including explosions, inside the Zolote disengagement area. Inside the same area, it also observed military presence and hardware, as well as anti-tank mines across road T-1316. It observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. In addition, it was restricted at a checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske, in a non-government-controlled area of southern Donetsk region...

Heavy machine-gun fired in the direction of an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle flying near non-government-controlled Dovhe. The UAV was not damaged. Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM saw fresh damage to a residential house due to shelling in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area. It observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure and an assessment of residential houses damaged by shelling in Luhansk region. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including at checkpoints near Zaichenko and in Horlivka...

Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 22 and 23 March, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Compared with the previous 24 hours, between the evenings of 23 and 24 March, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. The SMM saw fresh damage to residential houses due to shelling in Pikuzy. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas. The SMM followed up on the announcement by the Ukrainian authorities that they would open the entry-exit checkpoint near Zolote for civilian passage on 24 March. It saw that vegetation surrounding the checkpoint had been burned and mine hazard signs removed at the checkpoint of the armed formations on the southern edge of the disengagement area. The SMM did not see any civilians crossing the checkpoint. The SMM observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line.