News and press releases

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on reports of casualties in Yasynuvata and Pikuzy and observed fresh impact sites south of the bridge in Shchastia. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations near Zolote disengagement area and inside Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, including more explosions compared with the previous reporting period. In Luhansk region the Mission registered more ceasefire violations, but fewer explosions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle spotted that 12 anti-tank mines previously observed at the edge of the Zolote disengagement area were no longer present.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM confirmed civilian casualties in Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city and in its Trudovskyi settlement and observed damage caused by shelling to civilian properties in Trudovskyi and Zolote-4. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it observed ceasefire violations near Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The Mission facilitated and monitored repairs to Vasylivka water pumping station and to high voltage power lines between Mykhailivka and Almazna.

The office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) and the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine organized a conference on “Integration with respect to diversity: legal standards and good practices from across the OSCE region” on 13 June 2017 in Odessa. Participants discussed two

Kyiv, 13 June 2017- The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group, Ambassador Martin Sajdik, visited certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions from 10-13 June 2017.

Between the evenings of 9 and 10 June the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions and more than five times the number of explosions in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 10 and 11 June, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM heard shots and bursts close to its unmanned aerial vehicle when it was flying near Mineralne. The SMM confirmed that two civilians from Marinka were injured and one from Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city. The Mission observed multiple impact sites in Oleksandrivka, Petrovskyi district, Vasylivka, Bezimenne and Sakhanka. On 11 June it was hindered from observing an impact site in Petrovskyi district by “DPR” members. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations in Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and observed an impact site near Pervomaisk. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* In violation of the withdrawal lines, the Mission saw howitzers near Zaichenko. It observed recently excavated trenches near Shchastia. The Mission visited two border areas not under government control.

The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations. The SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period. It recorded more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region.