Central Europe

TASHKENT, 14 September 2021 – Observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will hold a press conference on the opening of the observation mission to the forthcoming presidential election in Uzbekistan on Wednesday, 15 September. This will also be an opportunity to mark ODIHR’s 400th election observation since the Office’s establishment 30 years ago.

What: 

• An introduction to the role of the ODIHR election observation mission and its planned activities

Who: 

• Eoghan Murphy, Head of the ODIHR observation mission

When: 

• 15:00 local time (GMT +5) on 15 September 2021

Registration:

• The press conference will take place on Zoom only. Please register by 12:00 local time on 15 September using the following link.

For further information on ODIHR’s election observation activities in Uzbekistan, please visit: https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/uzbekistan

TASHKENT, 13 September 2021 – The 23rd annual OSCE Central Asia Media conference, organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, ended on 10 September in Uzbekistan, after two days of discussions on public service media, public value of the media and safety of journalists in Central Asia and Mongolia.

The conference was opened by OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Gayrat Fazilov, Deputy Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, Public Fund for Support and Development of National Mass Media of Uzbekistan Saida Mirziyoyeva, and Senior Project Officer, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan Hans-Ullrich Ihm.

Closing the event, Ribeiro stressed that she is fully aware that states are confronted with ever new and emerging challenges and that keeping their people safe is rightly a top priority for any government. “At the same time, however,” the OSCE Media Freedom Representative continued, “we must make sure that this safety does not come at the expense of our fundamental freedoms such as the freedom of expression. More safety does not mean less freedom. In fact, the one is impossible without the other.”

The hybrid event brought together approximately 120 participants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia, representing government, media, journalists' associations, civil society and academia. Conference materials, including videos of presentations, are available here .

During her visit to Uzbekistan, the Representative held high-level meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulaziz Kamilov; Chairperson of the Committee on Innovative Development, Information Policy and Information Technologies of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan Ilkhom Abdullayev; Director of the Agency on Information and Mass Communications under the Administration of the President Asadjon Khodjaev; Chairperson of the National TV & Radio Company Alisher Khodjaev; and Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, Public Fund for Support and Development of National Mass Media of Uzbekistan Komil Allamjonov and Saida Mirziyoyeva, respectively.

The Representative was briefed about the progress made in the ongoing reforms in Uzbekistan. She also discussed solutions to persisting challenges regarding media freedom in the country and the further engagement of her Office with various Uzbek counterparts.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.

A four-day course aimed at further strengthening Albania’s capacity to counter the financing of terrorism concluded on 11 September 2021 in Pogradec, Albania. The course was organized by the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department, with the support of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the OSCE Presence in Albania.

Twenty-one participants, including seven women, from Albania’s General Directorate for the Prevention of Money Laundering, the State Intelligence Service and the State Police took part in the course, which highlighted various instruments and techniques to assess and disrupt terrorist activity.

International experts together with five local trainers led the course. More than half of the course was devoted to practical work. Inter-agency teams examined the ‘business model’ of terrorist networks and learned how to apply techniques, including auditing and vulnerabilities analysis, to disrupt the financing of terrorism.

The course, organized with the financial support of the United States, is part of a comprehensive multi-annual training programme on countering the financing of terrorism, jointly implemented by the OSCE and the UNODC since 2018.

The training programme is designed to support Albania to comply with international standards, in particular UN Security Council Resolutions, such as UN Security Council Resolution 2462 (2019), Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) standards, and OSCE commitments.

Summary

• In Donetsk region, from the evenings of 10 to 12 September, the Mission recorded 306 ceasefire violations, including 166 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 193 ceasefire violations in the region.
• In Luhansk region, from the evenings of 10 to 12 September, the SMM recorded 100 ceasefire violations, including six explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded no ceasefire violations in the region.
• The Mission followed up on damage at a compound in government-controlled Marinka, Donetsk region.
• SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were assessed as targeted by small-arms fire near government-controlled Novohnativka, Donetsk region, and non-government-controlled Zolote-5/Mykhailivka, Luhansk region.
• The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and recorded ceasefire violations inside the disengagement area near Petrivske.
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to enable the operation of critical civilian infrastructure.
• The SMM continued following up on the situation of civilians, including at four entry-exit checkpoints and four corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The Mission visited three border crossing points outside government control and monitored areas near the border with the Russian Federation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The SMM monitored the security situation in east and south-east Kherson region.
• The SMM’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including at a checkpoint in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region and a border crossing point in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region. Its UAVs again experienced multiple instances of GPS signal interference.*

The OSCE Presence in Albania is making further progress in its efforts to help the Albanian Public Broadcasting Service (Radio Televizioni Shqiptar - RTSH) establish a training centre for young RTSH reporters and journalism students.

From 7 to 9 September 2021, the Presence trained seven renowned RTSH editors and managers to be future trainers at the training centre. The event was organized together with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Training Academy.

This train-the-trainers course was developed and conducted by EBU’s training manager, Frederic Frantz. Participants learned cutting-edge teaching skills and knowledge transferring methods to enable them to successfully deliver trainings to RTSH employees in general, and young journalists in particular.

Bledar Zaganjori, RTSH Director of News and Current Affairs, emphasized that: “the training courses held recently regarding mobile and constructive journalism were very much needed and well received”. He added that after more than a year of online training, they want courses to be in person and journalists and technical staff to have a hands-on approach during classes.

In addition, the OSCE Presence in Albania is assisting the Public Broadcaster in finalizing the short- and mid-term training plans for its staff. On 10 September, the Presence facilitated a roundtable discussion with top RTSH management on developing a training strategy and drafting the training plans for the next two years.

This strategy will pave the way to a functional and efficient RTSH Training Academy. The Presence has provided the Public Broadcaster with technical equipment, such as cameras, editing programmes, lighting sets, microphones and tripods to be used for new programmes and training purposes.

The assistance to RTSH provided by the OSCE Presence in Albania is part of a two-year programme of professional capacity-building for RTSH, organized in close co-operation with EBU within the framework of the “Media in Focus” project funded by the European Union (EU). The project’s aim is to strengthen RTSH through capacity-building for journalists and assistance in producing new flagship programmes.

On 9 and 10 September 2021, the OSCE convened the first meeting of the Advisory and Co-ordination Board established as part of the OSCE project, Enhancing Criminal Justice Capacities for Combating Gender-based Violence — GBV — in South-Eastern Europe.

Representatives of the OSCE and its field operations, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Women, the Council of Europe and donor countries, Germany and Finland, attended the meeting.

The aim of the meeting was to exchange good practices and lessons learned from previous and on-going initiatives on preventing and combating gender-based violence in the region, as well as identify synergies, with a focus on avoiding overlapping and strengthening sustainability of results.

The project aims at enhancing the capacities of criminal justice systems in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia to prevent and combat gender-based violence toward increasing the public’s trust in criminal justice response and the level of reporting of gender-based violence cases. The project is currently being implemented with the financial support of Germany, Norway and Finland.

Summary

• In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 193 ceasefire violations, including 95 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 176 ceasefire violations in the region.
• In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded no ceasefire violations. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 348 ceasefire violation in the region.
• The Mission followed up on damage to an uninhabited house in non-government-controlled Donetsk city.
• The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and recorded ceasefire violations inside the disengagement area near Petrivske.

• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to enable the operation and repair of critical civilian infrastructure and a transfer of funds from non-government- to government-controlled areas in Luhansk region.
• The SMM continued following up on the situation of civilians, including at four entry-exit checkpoints and the corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The Mission visited a border crossing point outside government control and monitored an area near the border with the Russian Federation in Donetsk region.
• The SMM’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted. Its unmanned aerial vehicles again experienced multiple instances of GPS signal interference.*

Summary

• In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 176 ceasefire violations, including 66 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 94 ceasefire violations in the region.
• In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded 348 ceasefire violations, including 37 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded six ceasefire violation in the region.
• The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and recorded ceasefire violations inside the disengagement area near Petrivske.
• The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to enable the operation and repair of critical civilian infrastructure.
• The Mission continued following up on the situation of civilians, including at three entry-exit checkpoints and two corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Luhansk region.
• The SMM’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including at checkpoints of the armed formations in southern Donetsk. Its UAVs again experienced instances of GPS signal interference.*

An OSCE-supported awareness-raising seminar on Kazakhstan’s new Environmental Code took place on 8 September 2021. The event was conducted by online format and was attended by some 90 representatives from the Parliament, municipal ecology departments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.

This event is the final in a series of three seminars organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan in partnership with Kazakhstan’s Association of Environmental Organizations. Its goal was to further raise awareness on the regulations of Kazakhstan’s new Environmental Code that was passed in January 2021 and entered into force in July of this year.

The seminar focused on legal aspects of the new regulatory framework, including the principle of public participation, the right of access to environmentally sensitive information, and the polluter pays concept. The participants also discussed aspects of implementing public expertise and obtaining permits for construction.

The event is part of the Programme Office’s long-term effort to promote the “green” economy in the host country as well as sustainable development principles in strengthening environmental security.

A two-day seminar on promoting e-business and e-commerce and defining the role of government in elaboration of legislation to promote digitalization was held online on 9 and 10 September 2021.

Representatives from the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations, the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Justice, the Central Bank of Turkmenistan, and other state agencies, commercial banks and private sector participated in the event.

International experts from Kazakhstan and Moldova highlighted current international trends in e-business and e-commerce and presented best practices in developing strategies and legislation to create a favourable e-business environment to attract investment. Experts also outlined regulatory tools and policies for sustainable development of e-business and e-commerce, shared best practices in promoting security of digital markets, and facilitated discussion on opportunities for digital market development in Turkmenistan.

“The introduction of digital systems and technologies into national practices requires the development of effective institutional and legislative mechanisms as well as the consistent improvement of human and institutional capacities,” said William Leaf, Officer-in-Charge of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

“The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, in its turn, focuses on the development and implementation of digital technologies as one of the topical issues both within the mandate of the Centre and on the national agenda,” added Leaf.

Summary

• In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 94 ceasefire violations, including six explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 1,090 ceasefire violations in the region.
• In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded six ceasefire violations, including four explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 476 ceasefire violation in the region.
• The Mission followed up on reports of a man injured due to shelling in non-government-controlled Donetsk city.
• Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at SMM’s mini-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) near non-government-controlled Petrivske, Holmivskyi and in Horlivka, Donetsk region.*
• The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and recorded ceasefire violations inside and close to the disengagement area near Petrivske and Zolote.
• The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to enable the operation and repair of critical civilian infrastructure.
• The Mission continued following up on the situation of civilians, including at four entry-exit checkpoints and the corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The SMM’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted. Its UAVs again experienced multiple instances of GPS signal interference. *

PRAGUE, 9 September 2021 - Promoting women’s economic empowerment and their access to education, social protection and the labour market, particularly in the post pandemic period, is critical to achieving stability and sustainable development across the OSCE area, said participants today at the opening of the 2021 OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum in Prague.

“By acting now and working together towards a more sustainable, inclusive and gender-equal development, we have a chance to curb economic and environmental security risks and build more sustainable, peaceful, and democratic societies in the OSCE region,” said OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde.

The Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Jakub Kulhánek assured that “promoting women’s economic empowerment is one of the priorities of the Czech Republic.” “We constantly strive to increase women’s participation in public life,” he said stressing that any decision-making process “must involve meaningful participation of women at all levels.”

Participants agreed that now is the time to regroup and re-energize to create a more equal, just and sustainable OSCE region, where women and men can equally contribute to the common good and security.

OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid said that gender inequality is persistent in all of our societies. “Women and girls have unrecognized potential because the gender pay gap, career opportunities gap and digital divide still exist.”

She referred to the forthcoming Stockholm Ministerial Council as an opportunity for OSCE participating States to lead by example. “With our post-pandemic recovery plans, governments adopting substantial commitments on women’s economic empowerment would signal our determination to leave no one behind,” said Schmid.

Strengthening gender equality is one of Sweden’s 2021 OSCE Chairpersonship key priorities.

Best practices on modernization of customs and transport procedures as a tool to improve transport management and transport security, especially during emergency situations, were discussed at an OSCE-organized online seminar on 7 and 8 September 2021. Representatives of the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Affairs, State Customs Service, State transport agencies and other key ministries and government bodies participated in the event.

The event was organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat and facilitated by two international experts from Georgia and the Russian Federation.  Best practices in the application of digital technologies and intelligent transport systems, harmonization of transport and transit procedures and ensuring sustainable and secure operation of logistic chains during the pandemic period were presented. The experts elaborated on their international experience in the effective use of a ‘single window’ mechanism as a tool for more efficient transport and logistics operations.

“Facilitating cross-border transport is a crucial prerequisite for economic development and security. Moreover, ensuring efficient transport networks, and promoting good governance at border crossing points are vital for states to overcome issues, such as lack of access to the sea and dependence on transit services of neighboring countries,” said William Leaf, Officer-in-Charge of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat has been co-operating with the Government of Turkmenistan in transport, trade and other related sectors since 2008 through a number of training events.

From 7 to 9 September 2021, the OSCE Presence in Albania organized an advanced training programme on “Complex International/Joint Investigations on Drug Trafficking” for sixteen officers of Albania’s State Police’s Anti-Drug Units and Security Academy. The training took place at the Albanian Security Academy in Tirana. The training is the continuation of last year’s drug investigation course organized by the Presence in support of Albania’s State Police to improve international co-operation and tackle organized crime.

The training aimed at enhancing the State Police’s capacities to dismantle organized criminal groups specialized in drug trafficking and to communicate and co-operate with partner law enforcement agencies when conducting complex international/joint investigations, which is vital for a successful fight against the cultivation and trafficking of narcotics.

International experts from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), EUROPOL, Nordic countries’ police forces, Croatian Police, and the Southeast European Law Enforcement Center (SELEC)  engaged participants with scenarios of successful cases of complex international investigations of organized criminal groups dealing with drug trafficking.

Over the last few years, the OSCE Presence in Albania has dedicated around three quarters of its police-related activities to address threats posed by organized crime, enabling the participation of Albania’s State Police officers in conferences and training courses to boost their professional capacities in investigating narcotics-related cases. The Presence will continue to support law enforcement agencies in Albania by building up their capacities and improving their investigative skills in narcotics and organized crime cases.

Summary

• In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 1,090 ceasefire violations, including one explosion. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 114 ceasefire violations in the region.
• In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded 476 ceasefire violations, including 47 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded one ceasefire violation in the region.
• The Mission corroborated a civilian casualty near non-government-controlled Horlivka, Donetsk region.
• The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske.
• The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to enable the operation and repair of critical civilian infrastructure.
• The Mission continued following up on the situation of civilians, including at five entry-exit checkpoints and three corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The SMM visited a border crossing point outside government control and monitored areas near the border with the Russian Federation, all in Donetsk region.
• The SMM’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted. Its unmanned aerial vehicles again experienced instances of GPS signal interference. *

Capacity-building initiatives related to fighting cybercrime were the focus of a technical briefing held on 7 September 2021. The briefing was organized online and in-person by the OSCE in close co-operation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe (C-PROC) and INTERPOL.

The aim of the briefing was to provide OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation with up-to-date information about current and future capacity-building initiatives for better addressing cybercrime. It also served as a venue for furthering continued co-ordination and collaboration at the international level.

The OSCE has a mandate to support its participating States in enhancing their criminal justice response to cybercrime, while upholding human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. The Organization focuses on capacity-building for law enforcement, promoting co-operation among participating States and fostering dialogue with the private sector and civil society.

A two-day online training course to support capacity-building of government institutions to engage with the public and media during health emergencies, organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, started on 7 September 2021.

Representatives from the Ministry of Health and the Medical Industry, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Parliament (Mejlis), the Ministry of Defense, the State Customs Service and other key government agencies and national and private media participated in the training course.

International experts from Israel and Kyrgyzstan shared examples from their respective countries to discuss the benefits of developing a single channel of dissemination to promote health related information and avoid disinformation. Other subjects covered include, effective channels for dissemination of information, principles of relations between organizations and mass media, forms of teamwork for interaction between organizations and public through media.

"Following the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic, government institutions faced new challenges in addressing complex issues related to the health and well-being of their citizens," said William Leaf, Officer-in-Charge of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat. "This is why it is crucial for the public to feel engaged with the government, and a connecting link between the government and the public is mass media".

“Today's event marks an important milestone in our successful co-operation with the host Government, as part of which the Centre has been organizing regular training events for Turkmenistan's journalists and communication specialists of state institutions to develop skills they need to work and communicate with the public in a modern media environment,” Leaf added.

VIENNA, 8 September 2021 — “Trust has to be earned over and over again. Trust is the ‘sine qua non’ for stability and sustainable security in the OSCE region. We therefore need dialogue, co-operation and transparency,” said Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, Secretary General for Foreign Affairs of Austria, as he opened the Austrian Chairpersonship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) today in Vienna.

“Shaping the future — this is our mission here in the OSCE. It is up to all of us to live up to the dynamic aspirations of the past decades such as the Helsinki Final Act or the Charter of Paris,” he said. “It is about putting predictability, solution orientation and confidence-building back at the centre of our actions and our thinking as fundamental elements of effective co-operation.”

Launsky-Tieffenthal spoke about the conflicts and crises throughout the OSCE region and underscored how they “urgently require resolution” and an adherence to fundamental OSCE principles and commitments. Describing the negative consequences of conflict, he said, “We would advocate that the spirit of co-operation should always prevail — without masking existing differences. People rightly expect a dialogue that lives up to its name.” 

In efforts to foster trust and transparency, the Austrian FSC Chair’s security dialogues will focus on the core areas of the FSC mandate while weaving in thematic debates, said Launsky-Tieffenthal, recalling the Swedish OSCE Chairpersonship’s motto of ‘Back to basics’. The programme will include topics such as the Framework for Arms Control, the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda, military doctrines, small arms and light weapons, conventional ammunition.

Referring to the FSC as “a team of 57 players” flanked by the FSC Troika and OSCE staff, Launsky-Tieffenthal encouraged the participating States to make “an active, constructive contribution toward a willingness to compromise” over the course of the Austrian FSC Chairpersonship. “This is the only way we can be successful together!”

SUMMARY

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 decreased at both BCPs compared to the previous week. 

OPERATIONAL REMARKS

The OM is currently operating with 22 permanent international Mission members, including the Chief Observer (CO) and a First Responder.[1] The Mission is supported administratively by a staff member and the Chief of Fund Administration based in Vienna.

Update on COVID-19 measures

Activities have been impacted by COVID-19 and measures undertaken by the OM to ensure the safety and duty of care of its Mission members and compliance with measures set by the host country authorities. The Mission is continuing to keep the situation under review, in close contact with the OSCE Secretariat and the Chairpersonship. Following the host country’s recommendations, the observers are adhering to social distancing. Due to the preventive measures taken by the central and regional authorities, the OM is faced with certain difficulties, but is still able to continue to fulfil its mandate without any limitations in its observation and reporting activities. The vaccination process provided by the host country medical system continues on a voluntary basis. To date, 80 per cent of OM staff have now been vaccinated. The OM is fully staffed and operational.

OBSERVATIONS AT THE BORDER CROSSING POINTS

Persons crossing the border

The profile of persons crossing the border can be categorized as follows:

1. Adults travelling on foot or by car with little or no luggage.
2. Persons in military-style outfits.
3. Families (often including elderly persons and/or children) travelling on foot or by car with a significant amount of luggage.

The average number of entries/exits decreased from 10,967 to 9,340 per day at both BCPs compared to last week. During the reporting period, the majority of border crossings were to the Russian Federation, with an average net flow of 260 per day for both BCPs. The Donetsk BCP continued to experience much more traffic than the Gukovo BCP.

Responding to the COVID-19 situation, the host country closed its borders for the majority of foreigners starting from 18 March 2020. Among the exceptions of persons allowed to cross the border (which entered into force on 19 March) are Ukrainian citizens and stateless persons holding passports or identification documents proving permanent residence in certain areas of Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine. In addition, reportedly, due to the threat of the spread of COVID-19, starting from 10 April 2020, the organized passenger transport commuting between the non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region of Ukraine and the Russian Federation was temporarily suspended and restored from 25 June 2020. Currently, the crossing of people is going on at a quasi-normal level.

Persons in military-style outfits

During the reporting period, the number of persons in military-style outfits crossing the border was two, compared to four last week; one person crossed into the Russian Federation while another one person crossed into Ukraine. These individuals crossed the border on foot.

Families with a significant amount of luggage

The OTs continued to report on families, sometimes with elderly persons and/or children, crossing the border at both BCPs with a significant amount of luggage, or travelling in heavily loaded cars. During this reporting week, two families were observed crossing into the Russian Federation while another two families were observed crossing into Ukraine, compared to the previous reporting period when four families were observed crossing into the Russian Federation and another three into Ukraine.

Bus connections                                         

Regular local and long-distance bus connections continued to operate between Ukraine (mostly from/to the Luhansk region) and the Russian Federation. During the reporting period, the OTs observed a slight increase in the overall number of buses crossing the border at both BCPs (386 compared to 381 observed during the previous week). There were 198 buses bound for the Russian Federation and 188 bound for Ukraine.

On some occasions, the OTs noticed the bus drivers removing the itinerary signs from the windshields of their buses, while some buses did not display their route at all. The majority of long-distance buses commuting between the Luhansk region and cities in the Russian Federation had Ukrainian licence plates issued in the Luhansk region.

Trucks

During the reporting period, the OTs observed a significant decrease in the overall number of trucks crossing the border at both BCPs (636 compared to 797 during the previous reporting week); 326 at the Gukovo BCP and 310 at the Donetsk BCP, 309 of these trucks crossed into the Russian Federation, and 327 crossed into Ukraine. Most of the trucks observed by the OTs had Ukrainian licence plates issued in the Luhansk region; however, on a daily basis, the OTs also noted trucks registered in Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, the Russian Federation and trucks with “LPR” and “DPR” plates.

The OTs also continued to observe tanker trucks crossing the border in both directions. During the reporting period, the overall number of tanker trucks crossing the border at both BCPs significantly decreased (19 compared to 37 during the previous week). These trucks were observed crossing the border at both BCPs. The trucks had the words “Propane” and “Flammable” written across the tanks in either Russian or Ukrainian. The majority of tanker trucks had hazard signs, indicating that they were transporting propane or a mix of propane and butane. All trucks underwent systematic inspection by Russian Federation officials, which could include an X-ray check. Due to the unfavorable observation position at the Gukovo BCP, the OTs continued to be unable to observe any X-ray checks.

Compared to the previous week, the total number of X-ray checks at the Donetsk BCP significantly decreased from 193 to 143. Of the total number of all trucks scanned 143 trucks (100 per cent) were bound for Ukraine.

Minivans

The OM continued to observe passenger and cargo minivans[2] crossing the border in both directions at both BCPs. The OTs observed minivans predominantly with Ukrainian licence plates issued in the Luhansk region; however, the OTs also saw minivans registered in the Russian Federation. During the reporting period, the OTs observed a slight decrease in the overall number of minivans crossing the border at both BCPs (144 compared to 147 observed during the previous week); 72 crossed into the Russian Federation and another 72 into Ukraine.

Trains

The OTs continued to pick up the sound of trains on the railway tracks located approximately 150m south-west of the Gukovo BCP. During the reporting week, the OTs heard trains on 24 occasions; the OTs assessed that 13 trains were travelling to the Russian Federation and the remaining 11 trains were travelling to Ukraine (more details are provided in the sections “trends and figures at a glance” below).

Visual observation was not possible because of the line of trees located between the train tracks and the BCP.

Other observations

The majority of vehicles crossing the border had Ukrainian licence plates issued in the Luhansk region or Russian Federation licence plates. A significant number of vehicles with “LPR” plates were also observed crossing the border in both directions on a daily basis. The OTs also observed vehicles with Georgian and Lithuanian licence plates, in addition to “DPR” plates.

On 2 September at 18:25, the OT at the Donetsk BCP observed a traffic police vehicle with flashing lights on, entering the BCP from the Russian Federation and parking in front of the main building. At 19:50 the police car drove back towards the Russian Federation. The OT was unable to notice any other details from its position.

On 3 September at 15:15, the OT at the Donetsk BCP observed four brand new ambulances type “UAZ” with inscription "Urgent Medical Help” (in Russian) entering the BCP from the Russian Federation and parking at the customs control area. After undergoing customs and border procedures, the vehicles left the BCP for Ukraine at 19:45.

For trends and figures at a glance covering the period from 3 August 2021 to 7 September 2021, please see the attachment here.

[1]First responders are OSCE staff or Mission members deployed for a short period of time.

[2]Cargo minivans: light commercial vehicles with a maximum authorized mass of more than 3.5 t and not more than 7.5 t; with or without a trailer with a maximum mass of less than 750 kg (small cargo vehicles that correspond to driving licence C1).

A two-day online event on the prevention and criminalization of domestic violence in Turkmenistan started today on 7 September 2021.  

This roundtable discussion brought together representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, Ministry of Justice, Prosecutor General’s Office, Ombudsperson’s Office, Women’s Union, Youth Organization and Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan. The event provides a platform to exchange best practices in preventing domestic violence against women and allow for discussion on how to further improve the legal framework of criminalization of domestic violence.

“The continued prevalence of gender-based violence is an ongoing acute social problem that damages the lives of women and girls around the world. It is important to emphasize the vital role of law-enforcement officials for early prevention of violence against women and girls and strengthen legislative framework to criminalize gender–based and domestic violence,” said William Leaf, Officer-in-Charge of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat. "The Centre will continue to actively support Turkmenistan’s efforts aimed at the implementation of its national frameworks and international obligations in the area of gender equality and human rights," he added.

International experts from Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Bulgaria presented legal and procedural tools from their respective countries and contributed to discussions on current developments and achievements with regard to revision and adoption of legislation criminalizing domestic violence in the OSCE region, including Turkmenistan.

The event organized within the framework of the Centre’s project “Supporting Turkmenistan's Efforts in Preventing and Criminalizing Domestic Violence”.