Central Europe

MINSK, 16 May 2018 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Martin Sajdik, made the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG ‎and its Working Groups in Minsk on 16 May 2018:

“At the previous TCG meeting, the situation around Donetsk Filtering Station (DFS) was subject to particular attention. Unfortunately, despite the sides’ security guarantees and the reinforced patrolling by OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, further ceasefire violations near the DFS occurred. 

Let me remind you that the DFS, as a part of the enterprise “Voda Donbassa”, provides water for several hundred thousand people on both sides of the contact line. 

These issues, among others, were duly considered in the Working Group on Security. At the TCG meeting, it was decided to hold a videoconference of the Working Group on Security concerning the situation in the DFS area next week. In this regard, I call on the sides to provide all the required security guarantees to allow for the uninterrupted operation of the station and to ensure security for DFS employees and SMM monitors.

Besides, the increase in civilian casualties in April raises a major concern. In this respect, I once again call on the sides to do their utmost to avoid civilian casualties. I am determined to repeat these calls to ensure that the interests of the conflict zone residents are properly voiced.

The Working Group on Economic Issues continued its discussion of further steps to restore and improve Vodafone-Ukraine mobile communication in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (CADR and CALR). Moreover, the Group considered the topic of water deliveries in Karbonyt system as well as the crucial environmental issues. 

The Working Group on Humanitarian Issues continued its discussion on the topics of detainees exchange and the conditions of their detention, missing persons, as well as improving conditions for the contact line crossing via the entry-exit checkpoints.  

The Working Group on Political Issues further considered the implementation of the so-called ‘Steinmeier formula’, amnesty and modalities of local elections in CADR and CARL.”

 

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This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued to facilitate access to the Donetsk Filtration Station for Voda Donbassa water company employees in order to keep the station operational. It heard ceasefire violations close by, despite security guarantees, and immediately left the location and suspended operations in the area of the station. In Betmanove, the Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties. The SMM followed up on reports of fresh damage to civilian properties caused by small-arms and automatic-grenade-launcher fire in Zolote-4. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including in Novolaspa and Kreminets.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Vidrodzhennia. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to high-voltage power lines near Almazna and to the water pipeline in Obozne. The SMM continued to follow up on media reports of arson at a Roma community camp near Lviv. In Ostroh in Rivne region, the SMM followed up on reports of a break-in at a chapel at a Jewish cemetery. The SMM also followed up on media reports of a raid by the Security Service of Ukraine on the offices of RIA Novosti in Kyiv.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations[1], including about 500 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 210 explosions).

On the evening and night of 14-15 May, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, an explosion, a projectile in flight from north to south, and two explosions, all 0.2-5km west.

On the evening and night of 14-15 May, while in Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard about 50 explosions assessed as artillery rounds 3-6km west-north-west, four explosions assessed as outgoing artillery rounds 4-6km north-west and about 50 undetermined explosions 3-6km at directions ranging from south-west to north-west.

On 15 May, positioned 1km north of Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM heard about 110 undetermined explosions at undetermined distances south, an undetermined explosion at an undetermined distance north-east and an undetermined explosion 5-7km south. Positioned 1km north-north-west of the entry-exit checkpoint in Pyshchevyk, the SMM heard an undetermined explosion 5-7km south-east, about 70 undetermined explosions south and south-east and small-arms fire south-west and north at undetermined distances. 

Positioned 1km west of Khreshchatytske (formerly Krasnoarmiiske, non-government-controlled, 33km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM heard 13 explosions assessed as outgoing rounds of multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) at undetermined distances south-east and 13 explosions assessed as impacts of MLRS at undetermined distances south, as well as about 70 undetermined explosions at undetermined distances south and south-east.

Positioned in Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 34 undetermined explosions 4-20km at directions ranging from south-east to west-south-west and about 170 bursts and shots of small-arms fire 3-7km at directions ranging from east to south.

Positioned in Novohnativka (government-controlled, 40km south of Donetsk), the SMM heard 36 outgoing explosions 2km south-south-east and six outgoing explosions at an unknown distance south-south-east.

Positioned in Kruta Balka (non-government-controlled, 16km north of Donetsk), the SMM heard 20 explosions 0.5-3km at directions ranging from north-west to north and about 70 bursts of small-arms fire 0.5-2km north-west.

In Luhanskregion, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including about 100 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (13 explosions). Positioned 1km south of Stepanivka (non-government-controlled, 62km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard an explosion assessed as an outgoing artillery round, an explosion assessed as the impact of a mortar round and 50 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 4-5km west-north-west.

Positioned 1km south-west of Bile (non-government-controlled, 22km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard about 60 explosions of tank rounds, assessed as outgoing and impacts, 5-10km south-south-east.

The SMM was in close proximity to small-arms fire while monitoring the security situation and facilitating access for employees of the Voda Donbassa water company to the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS). Positioned on road H20, about 1.6km south-east of Kamianka (government-controlled, 20km north of Donetsk), the SMM heard the whistling sound of a bullet flying at a distance of 20cm to 1m above their heads, assessed as small-arms fire from an unknown distance south-south-east in an area covered by explicit security guarantees. The SMM patrol immediately left the location and suspended operations in the area of the DFS. (See SMM Spot Report 15 May 2018.)

The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Betmanove (non-government-controlled, formerly Krasnyi Partyzan, 23km north-east of Donetsk). The SMM spoke by phone with a woman (aged 57) who said that on 1 May she and her husband (aged 58) were home at 68A Chervona Street in Betmanove when shelling had started at 13:15. The woman said that as they ran towards their shelter, their garage had sustained an impact, but a car in the yard had shielded them from much of the blast. According to her, she sustained a deep shrapnel wound above her right thigh, and her husband sustained injuries from metal fragments to the right rear of his neck. The woman also said that they were treated for two days in Horlivka Hospital No. 2. Earlier in the day in Horlivka, hospital staff told the SMM by phone that the couple had been admitted to the hospital on 1 May, provided a similar description of their injuries, and said that after two days of care the two were released. The SMM could not visit the abovementioned address due to security reasons.

The SMM followed up on reports of fresh damage to civilian properties caused by small-arms and automatic-grenade-launcher fire in Zolote-4/Rodina (government-controlled, 60km north-west of Luhansk). At 6 Ostrovskoho Street, at a two-storey brick house, the SMM observed three fresh divots (2-3cm deep, 10-15cm in diameter) on a wall and door as well as a hole in the glass of a first floor window, all facing east, assessed as caused by small-arms fire. The SMM also observed a number of minor surface scratches on the north-facing wall. Three residents (two women aged 50 and 65, and one man aged 45) told the SMM that the damage had occurred in the late evening of 4 May and that one of the women had been home at the time. 

At 7/2 Ostrovskoho Street, at a two-storey brick house, the SMM observed three fresh bullet holes (10mm in diameter) on the south-facing wall and door as well as a hole in the glass of a south-facing second floor window, all assessed as caused by 5.45mm rounds fired from a south-easterly direction. The SMM observed a 5.45mm bullet inside the frame of a double-pane insulated window and another 5.45mm bullet inside the door frame. The SMM spoke with two owners of the house (women aged 25 and 50), one of whom said that the damage had occurred in the late evening of 3 May and that they had been inside the house, together with a two–year-old child, at the time of shooting. 

At 7/1 Ostrovskoho Street, at a two-storey brick house, the SMM observed a fresh bullet hole (20mm in diameter) in the east-facing first-floor window, assessed as caused by small-arms fire from a south-easterly direction. The owner (woman aged 30) told the SMM that she had been inside the house when the damage had occurred in the late evening of 3 May.

At 5/2 Ostrovskoho Street, the SMM observed two fresh bullet holes (10mm in diameter) in the south-facing concrete wall of a shed (located 20m west of the house) assessed as caused by small-arms or heavy-machine-gun fire coming from a west-south-westerly direction (likely ricochet), and a minor surface scratch (5-7cm in length) assessed as caused by an automatic-grenade-launcher. About 20m east of the shed,the SMM observed many holes (more than 2mm in diameter, around half of them fresh, assessed as caused by various weapons) in the north-facing metal gate to another property at 4/1 Ostrovskoho Street. The owner (man, aged 40) told the SMM that he had been at home when the damage occurred on the late evening of 3 and 4 May.Otsrovskoho Street is located around 300m north of the contact line and the SMM is aware of Ukrainian Armed Forces positions between 300-400m south-east and south-west of the street.

The SMM continued to monitor the disengagement process and to pursue full access to the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk), Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) and Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), as foreseen in the Framework Decision of the Trilateral Contact Group relating to disengagement of forces and hardware of 21 September 2016. The SMM’s access remained restricted, but the Mission was able to partially monitor them.* 

On 15 May, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded an illumination flare in vertical flight and two undetermined explosions, all 4-12km east-south-east (all assessed as outside the disengagement area).

Positioned in Petrivske, the SMM heard eight undetermined explosions 5-8km south-west (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

Positioned near Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM noted a calm situation.

The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons in implementation of the Memorandum and the Package of Measures and its Addendum.

In violation of withdrawal lines in a government-controlled area, the SMM saw a stationary self-propelled howitzer (2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm) near Vidrodzhennia (66kmnorth-east of Donetsk).

Beyond the respective withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites in government-controlled areas, the SMM saw five self-propelled howitzers (2S1Gvozdika, 122mm) being transported on trucks travelling near Sloviansk (95km north of Donetsk), two towed howitzers (2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm) in Khlibodarivka (65km south-west of Donetsk) and three stationary tanks (T-64) in Bakhmut (67km north of Donetsk).

The SMM revisited permanent storage sites whose locations were beyond the respective withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region and noted that six tanks (four T-64 and two T-72) were again missing. 

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles[2], a pontoon bridge and unmanned aerial vehicles in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, on 14 May, an SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) in Muratove (51km north-west of Luhansk) and an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-variant) in Krymske (42km north-west of Luhansk). On the same day, an SMM mini-UAV spotted a pontoon bridge (PMP-3), two motorboats (BMK-130, BMK-460) and an amphibious transporter (PTS-2) across the Siverskyi Donetsk River, as well as a trench digger (PZM-2) north-west of Krymske. On 15 May, the SMM observed an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (BTR-80) in Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk).

In non-government-controlled areas, on 14 May an SMM mini-UAV spotted an IFV (BMP-1), an APC (MT-LB) and a probable APC (MT-LB) in Pryvitne (11km north of Luhansk) and, on 15 May, the SMM saw an IFV (BMP-1) near Starolaspa (51km south of Donetsk). 

On both sides of the contact line in the security zone, the SMM heard UAVs. Positioned 2.5km south-east of Lomakyne (government-controlled, 93km south of Donetsk), the SMM heard an unidentified UAV flying east of its position, near the line of contact, from south to north. In a non-government-controlled area, positioned1.5km west of Khreshchatytske, the SMM heard an unidentified UAV flying from east to north-west then north-west to south.

The SMM observed demining activities. In Nikishyne (non-government-controlled, 60km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM observed two trucks, one fitted with blue emergency lights and “demining” written in Russian on the front of the truck, and five men (aged 30-40) in military-style clothing in an uncultivated agricultural field that had been fenced off with wooden stakes and white tape 1km north of the town.

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repair works to high-voltage power lines near Almazna (non-government-controlled, 55km west of Luhansk)and the water pipeline in Obozne (non-government-controlled, 18km north of Luhansk).

In Lviv city, the SMM continued to follow up on media reports of arson at a Roma camp on 9 May. On 14 May, the head of the Department of Culture and Religions of the Lviv Regional State Administration told the SMM that prior to the alleged attack approximately 30 people had been living in the settlement in Rudne (11km west of Lviv City). On 15 May, the head of the Rudne village council told the SMM that the affected individuals had been living in the area for the past three years and that there had been no conflict between them and other local residents. The SMM was told the same by members of the local Roma community staying at a different camp in Rudne. (See also SMM Daily Report 14 May 2018.) 

The SMM followed up on news reports of unknown persons breaking into a chapel at a Jwish cemetery on Kozatska Street in Ostroh (247 km north-east of Lviv) in Rivne region. At the chapel, the SMM saw three broken windows on the west side of the chapel and a door showing signs of forced entry. According to a cemetery attendant, the damage had occurred on the night of 27-28 April 2018 and the attackers took a small sum of money from the chapel.

In Kyiv, the SMM followed up on media reports of a raid on the offices of the RIA Novosti news agency at 16 Shota Rustaveli Street. At the RIA offices, a security guard told the SMM that at around 09:00 on 15 May he had seen agents of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) enter the building. The SBU published a statement on its website that it had conducted searches in offices of RIA Novosti. 

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Chernivtsi.

 

*Restrictions of SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to fulfilment of its mandate

The SMM’s monitoring and freedom of movement are restricted by security hazards and threats, including risks posed by mines, unexploded ordnance (UXO), and other impediments – which vary from day to day. The SMM’s mandate provides for safe and secure access throughout Ukraine. All signatories of the Package of Measures have agreed on the need for this safe and secure access, that restriction of the SMM’s freedom of movement constitutes a violation, and on the need for rapid response to these violations. They have also agreed that the Joint Centre for Control and Co‑ordination (JCCC) should contribute to such response and co-ordinate mine clearance. Nonetheless, the armed formations in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions frequently deny the SMM access to areas adjacent to Ukraine’s border outside control of the Government (see SMM Daily Report 15 May 2018). The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remain restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April 2017 near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations.

 

Denial of access:

• While on the eastern edge of Novolaspa (non-government-controlled, 50km south of Donetsk), an armed formation member prevented the SMM from travelling west into Novolaspa citing security concerns and alleging that there was ongoing IFV (BMP-2) cannon fire in the area.

Related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO: 

• The SMM was prevented from accessing parts of the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, with the exception of the main road, due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.[3]
• The SMMwas prevented from accessing secondary roads in the Zolote disengagement area due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM by phone that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.
• On 9 May and again on 14 May, the SMM did not travel across the bridge in Shchastia due to the presence of mines. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that there had been no demining in the area in the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.

Conditional access:

• While 2.7km east of Kreminets (non-government-controlled, 16km south-west of Donetsk), an armed formation member allowed the SMM to proceed east on road H15 only after inspecting an SMM trailer.

[1]For a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table. The SMM cameras at the entry-exit checkpoints in Marinka and Pyshchevyk were not operational during the reporting period.

[2]This hardware is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.

[3]The SMM informed Ukrainian Armed Forces officers of the JCCC. Russian Federation Armed Forces officers of the JCCC have withdrawn from the JCCC as of 18 December 2017.

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Communication and Media Relations Section

A well-governed security sector, grounded in respect for human rights and the rule of law, strengthens society’s resilience to threats to security and stability, said OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger at a high-level side event on the margins of the 27th Session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Vienna on 16 May 2018.

The side event, organized by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and co-sponsored by the Government of Slovakia and the OSCE, focused on the role of security sector reform and governance as a tool for conflict prevention, particularly in the context of transnational organized crime.

“To meaningfully improve our approaches to peace, security and sustainable development, we need to invest in preventive measures, and commit ourselves to long-term, impact-oriented approaches that address the underlying causes of conflict,” said Greminger. “Preventive efforts – such as supporting improved, democratically controlled security and justice institutions – will reduce the risk of multiple forms of conflict.”

He added that the OSCE has a rich toolbox, including the OSCE Guidelines on Security Sector Governance and Reform, to assist participating States in reforming and strengthening the governance of their security sectors.

The OSCE Secretary General also commended Slovakia and UNODC for their leadership and work in this area.

“I welcome the recent integration of security sector reform and governance as a new topic in the OSCE-UNODC Joint Action Plan for 2018-2019, and I would welcome even closer co-operation in the future,” he said.

Yury Fedotov, UNODC Executive Director, said: “Supporting conflict prevention through security sector reform is a highly relevant priority, which is fully in line with the UN Secretary-General’s vision. This event is an opportunity to discuss current efforts, challenges, linkages and future prospects for security sector reform.” 

Michal Mlynár, Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the UN in New York, and Co-Chair of the Group of Friends of Security Sector Reform, said: “A well-governed and accountable security sector is a pre-condition for addressing transnational organized crime effectively. Slovakia remains committed to supporting both the OSCE and the UN in their efforts to improve their partnership on security sector reform and in particular, to prevent violent conflict.”

Also addressing the side event were Ján Kubiš, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq; Jabir Hemaidawi, Permanent Representative of Iraq to the UN in Vienna; and Masood Ahmad Azizi, Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs.

VIENNA/VENICE, Italy, 17 May 2018 – Officials and experts from 57 OSCE participating States and 11 Partners for Co-operation, as well as high-level representatives from international organizations, civil society, academia and the business community will meet on 24 and 25 May in Venice, Italy, to discuss economic progress and security through innovation, human capital development, and good public and corporate governance.

This second preparatory meeting of the 26th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum (EEF) is organized by Italy’s 2018 OSCE Chairmanship and the OSCE Secretariat. Italian OSCE Chairmanship Co-ordinator Vinicio Mati, and Co-Ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities Vuk Žugić will open the meeting.  

Paola Severino, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Corruption, and Enzo Quattrociocche, Secretary General of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will address the event as keynote speakers.

The focus of the second EEF preparatory meeting will be on investment policies and the promotion of a business climate favourable to accelerating economic growth in the digital sphere, building knowledge, skills and competencies, ensuring security through social equity and the importance of strengthening good public and corporate governance through transparency and accountability.  

Journalists are invited to attend the opening session from 9:30 to 11:00 on Thursday, 24 May, at Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista, San Polo 2454, Venice.

Journalists wishing to attend are required to send an e-mail confirming their attendance to accreditamentostampa@esteri.it no later than Tuesday, 17:00, 22 May. The presentation of a valid ID is required for accreditation at the venue.

Please send all requests for brief interviews with the participants of the event, to press@osce.org or mersiha.causevic-podzic@osce.org.

Follow the Forum activities on Twitter via #EEFOSCE. A detailed agenda can be accessed here. 

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SARAJEVO, 16 May 2018 – Women journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) are frequently subjected to gender-based and other forms of unequal treatment, harassment and threats while carrying out their professional duties, concluded participants of the two-day conference "Status and Protection of Women Journalists in the BiH Media" today in Sarajevo.

The conference was organized by the BiH Journalists’ Association in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to BiH and the NGO Civil Rights Defenders.

“The problems that women journalists are facing in Bosnia and Herzegovina undermine not only freedom of expression and freedom of the media, but also gender equality, which is why there is a need for women journalists to network and strengthen their solidarity as an interest group.  Women journalists are frequently subject to harassment and threats, both online and offline. These issues need to be addressed,” said the Head of the OSCE Mission in BiH Bruce Berton and expressed continuous readiness by this organisation to contribute to the protection of female journalists’ rights in BiH. 

Swedish Ambassador in BiH Anders Hagelberg said: “The large number of cases of gender-based attacks against women journalists, registered by the Help Line for journalists, are only part of the reason for considering the idea of establishing a network of women journalists as a platform for solidarity and fighting for their freedom and protection.”

Ena Bavčić, Civil Rights Defenders Programme Advisor, stressed that although attacks against honour, reputation and physical integrity of women journalists are not treated as life-threatening, they still inflict significant damage of a professional and personal nature. “This is the right time to start thinking about the position of women, not only within the journalistic profession but also with respect to their civil and political rights. Women journalists need to be empowered to report such attacks, meaning that the private manner of confrontation with women journalists has to be transferred to the public sphere,” she said.

The BiH Journalists’ Association’s research study on women and the media entitled Women Employees and Managerial Structures was also presented at the conference. The author of this study, Amer Džihana, pointed out three main problems in the context of women and media: the absence of women from the most serious news content, the manner of representation of women in the media and employment and advancement of women within the media industry.

“Women’s share of top managerial positions in BiH media is 25.3 per cent, while men hold 74.7 per cent. The biggest imbalance in terms of managerial positions is in the TV sector, where women hold only 15.8 per cent of top managerial posts,” said Džihana. He added that the largest share of women as editors-in-chief is found in the radio sector (44.7%), while they are least represented in online media, with 21.7 percent of women appointed editors-in-chief.

The recent publications Safety of Female Journalists and Countering Abuse of Female Journalists Online issued by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media were also distributed and discussed at the conference.

 

 

 

 

 

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Communication and Media Relations Section

Strengthening protection and preparedness against terrorist attacks aimed at critical energy infrastructure was the focus of a risk-assessment and crisis management exercise in Sarajevo on 16 and 17 May 2018, organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina.  

Thirty-seven experts from state authorities and private sector energy companies and agencies tested the effectiveness of their existing protection and crisis management systems, including co-ordination with external crisis management mechanisms to mitigate the impact of a terrorist cyber-attack. Based on the Good Practices Guide on Non-Nuclear Critical Energy Infrastructure Protection from Terrorist Attacks Focusing on Threats Emanating from Cyberspace the exercise was held as part of the OSCE’s work to advance the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2341 (2017) on the protection of critical infrastructure from terrorist attacks and aimed at improving partnerships between the public and private sectors in order to increase the resilience of national energy infrastructure.

“Because of the energy sector’s importance to the region, and the impact a terrorist attack would have on the OSCE area’s energy infrastructure, OSCE participating states have committed to co-operate on this particular topic, and have developed numerous tools to address the regional and national security of critical infrastructure,” said Bruce G. Berton, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. “This exercise will help test and develop BiH’s national, sectoral and company-level capabilities to respond to a terrorist cyber-attack directed at industrial control systems.“ 

 “To be able to adequately protect critical energy infrastructure, we have to make sure that each of its elements is protected to a relatively equal extent (generation, transmission and distribution), which requires the harmonised and coordinated engagement of all relevant government institutions. It is important to note that this exercise will also contribute to introducing a strategic approach, with the view of developing and using available capacities to efficiently fight all forms of attacks in cyber space and reinforce security system in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, said Mladen Mrkaja, Assistant Minister of Security, who addressed the national energy and cyber security experts at the workshop’s opening.

The exercise in Bosnia and Herzegovina was the seventh national exercise on enhancing the capacities of OSCE participating States to mitigate terrorist attacks emanating from cyberspace.

VIENNA, 16 May 2018 - Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl opened today the high-level conference Effective Multilateralism in a Globalized World – The Case of Europe and Asia Pacific in Vienna. The conference takes place in the framework of the Austrian Chairmanship of the OSCE Asian Contact Group. It aims to reassess the main security challenges in both the European and Asia-Pacific regions together with representatives of OSCE participating States, international organizations – the United Nations, the OSCE, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization in particular - but also civil society, academia and the media.

In her opening address, Kneissl stressed the crucial role of effective multilateralism in today’s increasingly complex security environment, dominated by transnational challenges: “For Austria, effective multilateralism is the preferred method of addressing global challenges. During its upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of this year, Austria will do its utmost to focus on making multilateralism relevant again.”

“In my view, we need more. More dialogue. More co-ordination. More co-operation. A retreat into unilateralism or isolationism will not solve any of the challenges our states face. It will not increase our safety or security. In fact, it will further erode the rules-based global order that has been the key to decades of increasing peace and prosperity,” the Foreign Minister added.

 “Austria’s current role within the OSCE Asian Contact Group reflects the high geopolitical importance that my Ministry attaches to the Asia-Pacific region. We are well aware of the accelerating geopolitical changes and of the strengthening of this region on the world stage: it has become a necessity for us to look beyond our traditional foreign policy focus and to make this region a full-fledged priority – not only as an area of tremendous economic opportunities, but also of political and security relevance,” Karin Kneissl said.

OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger stressed that now more than ever, multilateral co-operation is needed in an increasingly inter-connected world. Greminger defined dialogue, connectivity and partnership as the main pillars of the OSCE Asian Partnership.

“In the OSCE’s experience, confidence-building measures and a shared normative framework have proven to be truly useful. If this experience can in any way be an inspiration to our Asian partners, the OSCE stands at their disposal”, said the Secretary General. “It is clear that we have a common interest to work together and to learn from each other. In that sense, the OSCE Asian Partnership provides a unique  forum for a meaningful exchange of best practices on how to address complex threats and challenges that defy borders and, quite simply, to stay in touch.”

Secretary General Greminger pointed out that more can be done to advance structured co-operation with Asian regional organizations, including exploring possibilities for greater working-level co-operation.  “Having partnerships is vital, but we also need to leverage them. Effective multilateralism means playing to our strengths,” concluded Greminger.

Today’s conference takes place in a global security environment that is characterized by instability, complex transnational threats, regional conflicts and rapid technological change. The event addresses the urgent need for a better understanding of the underlying trends and factors of the erosion of the common security architecture. The discussions aim at renewing impetus for strengthening effective multilateral co-operation.

Thematic sessions will explore regional approaches to security and related threats to geopolitical and human security as well as promoting partnerships between international organizations, civil society and academia. Participants will also address the OSCE’s “second dimension” – economic and environmental security – by discussing how better economic connectivity could boost multilateral agreements and regional co-operation.

A side-event will be devoted to building cross-regional alliances to better combat the trafficking of human beings in Europe and the Asia-Pacific.

 

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Željka Šulc

Over 30 parliamentarians, holders of executive positions, and experts from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia gathered on 15 May 2018 in Sarajevo at a regional meeting on gender equality and corruption hosted by the OSCE Mission to BiH, in co-operation with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the OSCE field operations in the region.

The event represented a unique opportunity to examine how to best fight corruption, from the specific and essential angle of gender equality, particularly how to strengthen the role of parliaments in this area.

“Corruption is a serious threat to core democratic values, human rights, and the rule of law, and gender inequality only exacerbates this threat,” said Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH Bruce G. Berton. “As it stands, research by anti-corruption experts shows that women are more adversely affected by corruption, due to unequal societal gender dynamics.”

The Director of the BiH Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and Co-ordination of the Fight against Corruption, Hasim Šabotić, said effective legislation is essential for the prevention of corruption and stressed the responsibility of parliamentarians in passing such laws.

Ivan Vilibor Sinčić, Member of the Croatian Parliament and President of the Gender Equality Committee, emphasized the importance of exchange of information: “I am glad to see so many colleagues from the region sharing their perspectives on some aspects of the fight against corruption and gender equality that we are unable to see from our point of view. Corruption does not know borders and if it is to be suppressed, then the co-operation between politics and judiciary should be much stronger.”

Gordana Čomić, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and Member of the Women’s Parliamentary Network, said: “There should be enough will of women so we can finally change the regional agenda and start fighting corruption and take it seriously.”

 

 

This report is for the media and the general public.

At 09:30 on 15 May, an SMM patrol consisting of six members and two armoured vehicles positioned itself on the H20 road about 1.6km south-east of Kamianka (government-controlled, 20km north of Donetsk) and about 1km west of the contact line. The patrol was monitoring the security situation and facilitating access for employees of the Voda Donbassa water company to the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) to keep the station operational. At 09:34, three monitoring officers were standing close to the SMM vehicles when they heard the whistling sound of a bullet flying at a distance of approximately 20cm to 1m above their heads, assessed as small-arms fire originating from a south-south-easterly direction at an unknown distance. The incident occurred in an area covered by explicit security guarantees provided by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the armed formations.

The SMM patrol safely left the location at once. As a result of the incident, the SMM suspended operations in the area of the DFS and the facilitation of access for Voda Donbassa employees to the DFS was not completed. 

 

 

 

 

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ERGNETI, 15 May 2018 - The 86th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting was held in Ergneti, on 15 May 2018. The meeting was conducted in a business-like atmosphere.

Erik Høeg, Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), and Ambassador Günther Bächler, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, co-facilitated the meeting.  

Mr. Høeg provided a brief overview of events that occurred since the last IPRM meeting on 1 March 2018. The security situation along the administrative boundary line was assessed as relatively calm and stable.

The case of the tragic death of Mr. Tatunashvili was discussed at length. The co-facilitators insisted on a thorough and transparent investigation, and called for a cooperative approach on all aspects of the case. The co-facilitators reaffirmed their readiness to support ongoing investigation and to facilitate exchange of information. A technical meeting of experts was also proposed. The case of Mr. Basharuli was also discussed.

The issue of borderisation was discussed by participants. The dismantling of vacant houses in South Ossetia and access to agricultural land, on both sides of the administrative boundary line, was also addressed. Water supply issues were also addressed during the meeting. The co-facilitators encouraged dialogue to find mutually acceptable solutions for those farming in the vicinity of the administrative boundary line and called for a humanitarian approach. 

The co-facilitators stressed the need for the EUMM to be allowed to conduct its monitoring activities unhindered, in line with its mandate. 

All participants reiterated their willingness to exchange information addressing any security concerns in the vicinity of the administrative boundary line in a timely manner and commended the effective use of the Hotline. 

The next IPRM meeting will take place in June 2018.

 

 

 

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VIENNA, 15 May 2018 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir raised concern today over a raid by security services of Ukraine against Russian state news agency RIA Novosti and TV channel RT offices today in Kyiv as well as the searches of homes of journalists and their arrests.

“I express serious concern about this morning’s raid on Russian media offices in Kyiv, the arrest of journalists, and the search of journalists’ homes. I reiterate my call on the authorities to refrain from imposing unnecessary limitations on the work of foreign journalists, which affects the free flow of information and freedom of the media. I recall that under the Helsinki Final Act, the OSCE participating States have committed to facilitating the conditions under which journalists from one participating State exercise their profession in another participating State,” Désir said. “This applies to the accreditation of journalists and correspondents of foreign media.”

“The fight against propaganda must not fall short of international standards and should not represent disproportionate interference in media activities,” the Representative said.

According to reports, Ukrainian security services raided the RIA Novosti and TV Channel RT offices in Kyiv this morning. The bureau chief of RIA Novosti Ukraine, Kirill Vyshinsky, a Ukrainian citizen who also has a Russian passport, was arrested along with other journalists.

The authorities are accusing the media outlets of anti-Ukrainian activities and announced several raids as part of the investigation.

The Representative continues to follow the developments surrounding today’s searches by the Ukrainian security services closely.

 

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. He 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.

 

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VIENNA, 9 May 2018 – Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl will open the high-level conference on “Effective Multilateralism in a Globalized World – The Case of Europe and Asia Pacific” on 16 May 2018 in Vienna.

Reflecting the OSCE’s inclusive security approach, the conference will focus on multilateral security mechanisms in Europe and the Asia Pacific region, as well as on economic connectivity and co-operation. A side-event will look into ways of effectively fighting against trafficking in Human Beings in the region with Madina Jarbussynova, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Geoffrey Shaw, Australian Government Ambassador for People Smuggling and Human Trafficking, and Hannes Schreiber, Head of Division for Asylum, Migration, Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, MFA Austria.

Kneissl’s keynote speech on the role of effective multilateralism in our two regions will be followed by high-level opening statements by OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger, Director General of the Office of the UN in Vienna and UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov tbc, Director General of the IAEO, Yukiya Amano tbc, Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia Natalia Gherman, and CTBTO Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo.

The discussion will focus on “Regional approaches to security in Europe and Asia” and “Towards a Common Economic Space: how to enhance economic connectivity and cooperation between the Euro-Atlantic and the Eurasian-Pacific Area.”

Further information about the conference as well as the draft agenda can be found online:  https://www.osce.org/partners-for-cooperation/asian/380467

Media representatives are invited to cover the Conference on 16 May from 09:00 to 16:00 at the Palais Niederösterreich, Herrengasse 13, 1010 Vienna (first floor).

 

Media representatives wishing to cover this event must register by sending an e-mail to pk-anmeldungen@bmeia.gv.at by 17:00, Tuesday, 15 May 2018. Registered media representatives must bring a photo ID in order to gain access to the conference venue.

 

Contacts

Communication and Media Relations Section

OSCE Secretariat

Phone: + 43 676 71 74 592

press@osce.org

 

Helene Spitzer

Press Officer

Ministry of Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Austria

Office: +43 (0) 50 11 50 33 95

helene.spitzer@bmeia.gv.at

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This report is for media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared to the previous day. The Mission recorded a significant level of fighting during the night of 5-6 August in Donetsk region. The SMM analysed craters in Krasnohorivka, Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove) and Sakhanka. It observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas. The Mission noted the absence of 12 towed howitzers from permanent storage sites in “LPR”-controlled areas. It faced four freedom-of-movement restrictions, all in areas not controlled by the Government. The SMM received concrete responses to recent incidents by the Ukrainian Armed Forces representative at the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination, but no such information regarding incidents that took place in areas not controlled by the Government.

The SMM noted fewer ceasefire violations[1] in Donetsk region compared to the previous reporting period.

On the evening of 4 August, while in Donetsk city centre the SMM heard in two minutes 14 undetermined explosions 6-8km north-north-west of its position. On the night of 5-6 August, the SMM heard 42 undetermined explosions, including 30 assessed as anti-aircraft cannon rounds, 7-10km north of its position.

On night of 4-5 August, whilst in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard two undetermined explosions 8-10km north-west of its location. Earlier that evening, the SMM had heard in one minute 20 explosions assessed as outgoing mortar rounds, explosions assessed as automatic-grenade-launcher and recoilless-gun rounds as well as heavy-machine-gun bursts 700-1000m north of its position 7km north of Horlivka. While in Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM heard two explosions assessed as impacts of 82mm mortar rounds 4-5km south-east of its location.

The SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) between 21:39 and 21:48 on 4 August recorded 11 rocket-assisted projectiles fired from west to east and one undetermined explosion at unknown distance north-west of its position. During the night of 5-6 August, in about three hours, the camera recorded 118 undetermined explosions as well as bursts of tracer fire (in sequence) from south-west to north-east, west to east and east to west.

Positioned in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk), the SMM heard within 50 minutes in the afternoon 94 undetermined explosions assessed as rounds of different weapons (82mm and 120mm mortar, automatic grenade launcher), as well as heavy-machine-gun fire 4-6km south-east of its position. In the course of the day, whilst positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM heard 20 undetermined explosions at locations ranging from 2 to 6km west, west-north-west and north-north-west of its position.

In one hour in the morning, whilst in Svitlodarsk, the SMM heard 26 undetermined explosions 10-12km north-west, and four undetermined explosions 10-12km north-north-east of its position. In the night hours of 5-6 August, within just over two hours around midnight from the same location, the SMM heard 42 explosions, including 30, which it assessed as impacts of 120mm mortar rounds 4-5km south-east of its position. In Horlivka, on the same night, the SMM heard 43 explosions, including 27 it assessed as outgoing mortar rounds 7-9km north-west of its position.

In Luhansk region the SMM noted fewer ceasefire violations compared to the previous day, with no ceasefire violations recorded during the night of 4 August. Positioned 2km north of “LPR”-controlled Hannivka (58km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard one undetermined explosion 5-15km west of its position. Positioned in “LPR”-controlled Veselohorivka (65km west of Luhansk), within about 20 minutes, the SMM heard over a dozen bursts of small arms 2km east of its position.

The SMM followed up on civilian casualties and conducted crater analysis. At the Kalinina hospital morgue in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city, the SMM accompanied by Russian Federation Armed Forces officers at the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), observed the body of a woman with extensive shrapnel injuries to her head, neck, limbs and torso. According to the autopsy report, she had succumbed to shrapnel injuries she had received due to triggering a booby trap while working in her garden in Donetsk city’s Petrovskyi district on 4 August.

On 4 August, in “DPR”-controlled Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, 23km north-east of Mariupol) the SMM saw four fresh craters, all of which it assessed as caused by 120mm mortar rounds. The SMM assessed the first crater near an abandoned house as caused by a round fired from a westerly direction. The second crater was in the backyard of a house inhabited by an elderly woman and the SMM assessed that the round had been fired from a south-westerly direction. The last two craters were located near a road in the same area and the SMM assessed that one round had been fired from a north-north-westerly direction and the other – from a north-westerly direction. According to residents, the shelling had taken place between 06:00-06:35 on 3 August. No casualties were reported.

In Sakhanka (“DPR”-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM saw three fresh craters. The first crater was 20m away from an electricity sub-station and the SMM assessed it as caused by a projectile fired from a westerly direction. The SMM saw shrapnel damage to the sub-station. The SMM assessed the second crater, which was located in a field at the outskirts of the village, as caused by a 120mm mortar round fired from a north-westerly direction. The third crater was located in the backyard of a house inhabited by a middle-aged woman and the SMM saw two broken windows. The SMM assessed it as caused by a projectile fired from a north-north-westerly direction. Residents told the SMM that the shelling had occurred on 3 August at 22:30. No casualties were reported.

In Molodizhne (“DPR”-controlled, 20km south of Donetsk) the SMM saw nine fresh impact sites in a “detention” facility guarded by armed “DPR” members. One impact had caused the south-east part of the flat roof of an administrative building to partially collapse. The remainder of the impacts had struck the hard surface of the yard. The SMM assessed four of the craters as caused by 122mm or 152mm artillery rounds fired from a south or south-westerly direction, while a fifth had been caused by a projectile of unknown calibre fired from a northerly direction. The SMM was unable to analyse the remainder of the craters as they had been tampered with. According to the “head” of the facility, the shelling had occurred around midnight on 4 August. He also told the SMM that two “detainees” had sustained minor injuries. Medical personnel at the Dokuchaievsk hospital who treated them told the SMM that one had a shrapnel injury to his ankle and the other - to his chest and jaw. Both had been released back to the facility less than two hours after their arrival to the hospital. Near the facility, the SMM saw a two-storey house with a shattered window and spoke to a resident living in the house who stated that the window had been shattered by shrapnel around midnight on 4 August.

In government-controlled Krasnohorivka (21km west of Donetsk) the SMM visited two residential properties reportedly shelled on the night of 4-5 August. At the first, the SMM saw a crater in the asphalt surface on the yard of the house, and minor shrapnel damage to the nearby east-facing wall. The SMM saw the tail fin of an 82mm mortar round stuck in the asphalt and assessed that the round had been fired from an east-south-easterly direction. At the second location, a five-storey apartment building, the SMM saw a direct impact on the east-facing wall and assessed it as caused by an 82mm mortar round fired from an east-north-easterly direction. No casualties were reported at either location.

The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons, in implementation of the Package of Measures and its Addendum, as well as the Minsk Memorandum.

In violation of the respective withdrawal line, the SMM observed in government-controlled areas: one surface-to-air missile system (9K33 Osa, 120mm) westbound on the M04 (E50) road near government-controlled Selidove (41km north-west of Donetsk), and two tanks of unknown type in “LPR”-controlled areas of Zolote (60km north-west of Luhansk). 

Beyond the respective withdrawal line but outside assigned areas, the SMM observed 13 stationary tanks (T-64) at the training area near “LPR”-controlled Myrne (28km south-west of Luhansk).

The SMM observed weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage does not comply with the criteria set out in the 16 October 2015 notification. In a government-controlled area beyond the respective withdrawal lines the SMM saw 11 multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS; BM21 Grad 122mm). The SMM also observed that one area continued to be abandoned, as it had been since 26 February, with 12 MLRS (BM21 Grad 122mm) and two surface-to-air missile systems (9K35 Strela-10, 120mm) missing. In “DPR”-controlled areas, the SMM noted the presence of eight anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) and six self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm).*

The SMM revisited permanent storage sites, whose locations corresponded with the withdrawal lines. At “LPR”-controlled sites the SMM noted that 12 towed howitzers (D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm) were missing.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles in the security zone. In “LPR”-controlled Kalynove (60km west of Luhansk), the SMM observed one armoured personnel carrier (BTR-80) with 12 armed “LPR” members on board travelling west and one stationary combat engineering vehicle (IMR-2) on a tank (T-72) chassis.

The SMM continued to insist on accountability and responsibility for violations related to impediments to SMM monitoring and verification. The SMM continued to follow up on the incident of 2 August when SMM monitors were threatened at gunpoint at a known Ukrainian Armed Forces position near Lobacheve (17km north-west of Luhansk) (see: SMM Spot Report, 3 August 2016). At the JCCC in government-controlled Soledar (79km north of Donetsk), the Ukrainian Armed Forces representative presented the SMM with details of the investigations and disciplinary measures taken against the perpetrators. With regard to the shots fired at the SMM mini unmanned aerial vehicle near Lobacheve on 30 July (see SMM Daily Report 1 August 2016), the representative informed the SMM that the person responsible had been identified and he had disobeyed direct orders.

In relation to the violation near Lukove (72km south of Donetsk) (see: SMM Spot Report, 29 July 2016) in which armed individuals had threatened the SMM at gunpoint, Mr. Zakharchenko continued to refuse to meet the SMM in order to indicate effective steps taken in response.*

The SMM reminded the JCCC of continued restrictions and impediments to monitoring and verification, including in the areas near Zolote and Petrivske, and reminded the JCCC of its obligations under the Addendum to help ensure these and other violations were remedied as a matter of urgency. The SMM likewise reminded the JCCC that many of these restrictions were caused by mines, which the signatories of the Memorandum of September 2014 had insisted should be removed, and the Trilateral Contact Group's decision of 3 March, stipulating that the JCCC should be responsible for overall co-ordination of mine action, with the support of the SMM.

The SMM observed the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO). The SMM revisited an area in Debaltseve (“DPR”-controlled, 58km north-east of Donetsk) where it had seen UXO assessed as an MLRS round (BM27 Uragan, 220mm; see SMM Daily Report 5 August 2016). A local farmer stated that “emergency services” had visited the site on 4 August and declared the rocket safe. He also showed the SMM another UXO on a footpath in the area, which the SMM assessed to be a 122mm artillery shell. The SMM informed the JCCC of the location of both pieces of UXO.

The SMM observed a new mine hazard sign 2km west of government-controlled Lobacheve (18km north-west of Luhansk) on the side of the road, which connects Lobacheve to government-controlled Lopaskyne (24km north-west of Luhansk). The sign read “Mines” in Russian and was hand-written on white cloth, which was hung on a movable wooden barrier.

The SMM continued to observe queues of pedestrians at the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. In the morning between 09:09 and 10:09 the SMM saw 203 people (mixed gender and age) leaving government-controlled areas through the government checkpoint. In the same time period, the SMM saw 265 people (mixed gender and age) entering government-controlled areas through the same checkpoint. At 10:22, the SMM saw some 450 people still queuing to leave government-controlled areas. The SMM saw no traffic in the opposite direction. Between 15:45 and 16:15 the SMM observed 115 people (mixed gender and age) enter government-controlled areas through the government checkpoint. Within the same time frame, the SMM saw 132 people (mixed gender and age) proceed in the opposite direction.

*Restrictions to SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to the fulfilment of its mandate

 

The SMM’s monitoring is restrained by security hazards and threats, including risks posed by mines and unexploded ordnance, and by restrictions of its freedom of movement and other impediments – which vary from day to day. The SMM’s mandate provides for safe and secure access throughout Ukraine. All signatories of the Package of Measures have agreed on the need for this safe and secure access, that restriction of the SMM’s freedom of movement constitutes a violation, and on the need for rapid response to these violations.

Denial of access:

• An armed “DPR” member stopped the SMM east of Oleksandrivske (formerly Rozy Lyuksemburg, “DPR”-controlled, 82km south of Donetsk), and prevented the SMM from proceeding further east. The SMM took an alternative route to Novoazovsk (“DPR”-controlled, 40km east of Mariupol). The SMM informed the JCCC.
• Four armed “LPR” members in two vehicles stopped the SMM in “LPR”-controlled areas of Zolote (60km north-west of Luhansk). An armed “LPR” member threatened one of SMM’s monitors with “arrest”, unless the SMM complied with their instruction not to stop at a pedestrian path leading to the railway tracks. The SMM informed the JCCC.

Conditional access:

• Armed men limited the SMM’s access to a weapons holding area. The gate was locked and the SMM was informed that the guard with the key was unavailable. The armed “DPR” members present only allowed two monitors and a language assistant to climb the wall (1.2m) in order to record the serial numbers of the designated weapons. The JCCC was informed.
• An armed “LPR” member stopped the SMM at the “LPR” checkpoint south of the bridge at government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk). He informed his superior and only allowed the SMM to proceed after noting down monitors’ names and IDs.

 

[1]  Please see the annexed table for a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations as well as map of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions marked with locations featured in this report.

 

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• Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30, 2 August 2016

This report is for media and the general public.

On 6 August at 07:51hrs the SMM heard an explosion approximately 3.9km east of its location in Luhansk city.

The SMM went to the site from where it had heard the explosion located at the intersection of Karpynsky and Vatutyn Street in Luhansk city, 500m north-east of SMM’s accommodation. The site was cordoned off, by so-called “LPR” “police” and the SMM could assess from a distance of approximately 15-30 meters, that an explosion had likely been caused by an improvised explosive device (assessed as approximately 1kg of high explosives) placed next to or in, a lamp post about two meters away from the vehicle, which was damaged and downed, at the side of the road. The SMM saw a black sport utility vehicle “Toyota Landcruiser Prado” severely damaged with windows shattered and front and side airbags deployed.

“LPR” “police” members at the site told the SMM that there were two casualties, without giving further details. Mr Vladislav Deynego, “LPR” member, told the SMM that Mr Plotnitsky was “in a bad condition and not able to receive visitors.”  At the time of writing, the SMM could not reach personnel at either of the two hospitals in Luhansk city for confirmation.

The SMM will continue following up to confirm the information, and observe further developments.

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• Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30, 4 August 2016
• Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30, 3 August 2016

WARSAW, 6 August 2016 – Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), today criticized the call by the Prosecutor General of Tajikistan for the reintroduction of the death penalty, and expressed concern over recent discussions related to removing the bans on capital punishment in some other OSCE participating States.

“Countries in the OSCE have committed themselves to consider the complete abolition of capital punishment, not to reconsider that abolition,” the ODIHR Director said. “Yesterday’s call by the Prosecutor General in Tajikistan for the reintroduction of capital punishment in that country is completely out of place in a region where most of the countries recognize the inherently cruel, inhuman and degrading nature of a punishment that fails to act as a deterrent and makes any miscarriage of justice irreversible.”

Tajikistan’s Prosecutor-General, Yusuf Rahmon, told a press conference yesterday that perpetrators of premeditated murder, terrorists and traitors must be punished by death. His words followed similar statements by other leaders, among them President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and President Viktor Orban of Hungary, suggesting that the reinstitution of the death penalty should be opened for discussion.

Tajikistan suspended the application of the death penalty in 2004, while Turkey and Hungary completely abolished capital punishment, in 2004 and 1990, respectively.

“Rather than reversing its course, it is my hope that Tajikistan will take further steps toward the complete abolition of the death penalty,” he said. “It is also my hope that Turkey, remains with the vast majority of the OSCE participating States and will continue to  act as a strong advocate for the global abolition, as it has in recent years.”

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KYIV, 5 AUGUST 2016 –OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Madina Jarbussynova, on Friday concluded an official visit to Ukraine aimed at raising awareness of human trafficking and the risks encountered by the most vulnerable groups as a consequence of the current crisis.

During her five-day visit, she met with representatives of the Donetsk Oblast state administration and female Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Kramatorsk. Ambassador Jarbussynova also travelled to Kharkiv to talk to relevant civil society representatives about the situation on the ground, how to prevent the expansion of the conflict-driven human trafficking phenomenon, and to evaluate existing mechanisms of identifying, referring and assisting victims of trafficking in human beings.

“More than one-and-a-half million citizens have been displaced – a vast number that demands a comprehensive response,” Jarbussynova said. “This vulnerable group can easily find itself in situations where human trafficking may occur.”

In Kyiv, the OSCE Special Representative met with Ukrainian authorities to discuss progress in anti-trafficking measures and review future plans.

“The Government of Ukraine has recently demonstrated a high level of commitment to addressing human trafficking, particularly in enhancing its victim identification efforts and in filing cases to relevant courts”, said Jarbussynova.

At the same time, she noted that there are still considerable gaps in the National Referral Mechanism for victims, and that long-term, sustainable measures should be sought.

The Special Representative travels regularly to Ukraine, engaging with high-level authorities and holding training sessions together with the Special Monitoring Mission and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator to strengthen the capacity of the Ukrainian institutions and OSCE monitors to spot human trafficking trends and to report on alleged cases.

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This report is for media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared to the day before including more than 520 explosions. In Luhansk region the SMM noted a decrease in recorded ceasefire violations compared to the previous day. On the night of 4 August, the SMM heard single shots of small-arms fire in close proximity to  its base in Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov). The SMM analysed craters in Zaitseve, Luhanske and Novozvanivka. It observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line, and noted the absence of numerous weapons from permanent storage sites in government-controlled areas. The SMM followed up on reports of water and power supply cuts in areas of Avdiivka and Yasynuvata due to shelling. It faced four freedom-of-movement restrictions – two in government-controlled areas and two in areas not controlled by the Government.

The SMM noted a higher number of ceasefire violations[1] recorded in Donetsk region compared to the previous reporting period, including more than 520 explosions.

On the evening of 3 August, while in Donetsk city centre, the SMM heard 48 undetermined explosions 8-15km north-west of its position.

On the same night, whilst in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 104 undetermined explosions 7-10km north, and 12 explosions assessed as outgoing armoured personnel carrier (BMP-1, 73mm) cannon fire 5-8km north of its position.

The SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) between 21:35 and 22:31 of 3 August, facing north-east, recorded 63 undetermined explosions and 30 bursts in the following sequence: five bursts of undetermined tracer fire and 25 bursts of direct tracer fire from east to west, north to south, south to north, north-west to northeast, north-east to north-west, east to north-west, north-east to west, south-east to north-west.

The following day, positioned at the “DPR”-controlled Donetsk central railway station (6km north-west of the city centre), the SMM heard 236 undetermined explosions all at locations 3-10km ranging from north-west to north-east of its position. The most intense violence was noted between 08:14 and 08:42, when the SMM recorded 100 undetermined explosions 4-6km north-north-east of its position. 

Positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 25 undetermined explosions and 13 outgoing explosions assessed as caused by automatic-grenade-launcher fire 1-7km west-south-west, west, west-north-west, north, north-north-east and north-east of its position. Positioned in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk), the SMM heard 14 undetermined explosions 3-5km east and south-east of its position.

In Luhansk region the SMM noted a decrease in recorded ceasefire violations compared to the previous day, with no ceasefire violations recorded during the night of 3 August. Whilst in government-controlled Trokhizbenka (33km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 32 undetermined explosions 5-6km south of its position. While positioned 1.5km north-west of “LPR”-controlled Hannivka (58km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard, within a half-hour period, more than 100 bursts of small-arms fire 1.5km east-south-east of its position – the location of a known shooting range – and assessed them as live-fire exercise – within the security zone – in violation of the ceasefire and of the Trilateral Contact Group decision on the prohibition of live-fire exercises within the security zone. Subsequently, while in the vicinity of a shooting range, the SMM saw five armed “LPR” members wearing ski masks with sniper rifles.

At 21:45 on 4 August, the SMM while at its base in “LPR”-controlled Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, 50km west of Luhansk), heard 16 single shots of small-arms (pistol) fire at an undetermined location 100-150m away from the base. The SMM informed the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) and armed “LPR” members controlling area.

The SMM conducted crater analysis. In “DPR”-controlled parts of Zaitseve (50km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM saw a fresh crater in a field 60m away from a house and assessed it as caused by a mortar (82 or 120mm) round fired from a north-westerly direction. Residents told the SMM that shelling had occurred during the night of 2-3 August. Across the street, the SMM also saw a completely burnt and destroyed house and two neighbouring houses with minor damage. No casualties were reported.

In government-controlled Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM saw four relatively fresh craters  with fragments of 120mm mortar rounds and 122mm artillery rounds in a garden of an inhabited house. The SMM was unable to determine the direction of fire due to contaminated craters after the recent heavy storms.

In government-controlled Novozvanivka (70km west of Luhansk), the SMM saw four craters near an inhabited house and assessed two of them as caused by 82mm mortar and the other two as caused by 122m artillery rounds, all fired from an easterly direction. Two residents told the SMM that shelling had taken place during the night time two days prior.

The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons, in implementation of the Package of Measures and its Addendum, as well as the Minsk Memorandum.

In violation of the respective withdrawal line, the SMM observed in government-controlled areas: five self-propelled howitzers (2S1Gvozdika, 122mm) in Tarasivka (43km north-west of Donetsk); four self-propelled howitzers (2S3 Akatsiya, 152 mm) in a military compound in Donske (57km south of Donetsk); one radio-guided anti-tank system (9K114 Shturm, 134mm) mounted on a stationary armoured tracked vehicle (MT- LB) in Novozvanivka (70km west of Luhansk). Aerial surveillance imagery available to the SMM revealed the presence on 3 August of 12 tanks together with other hardware including 19 armoured vehicles and 44 military-type trucks in an industrial complex in “DPR”-controlled Budonivskyi district of Donetsk city.

The SMM observed weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage does not comply with the criteria set out in the 16 October 2015 notification. In a government-controlled area beyond the respective withdrawal lines the SMM saw six towed howitzers (2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm), while it noted as missing six towed howitzers (2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm) as first observed on 8 July. The SMM also observed that two areas continued to be abandoned, as they have been since 3 July, with 12 towed howitzers (D-30, 12mm) and six Addendum-regulated mortars (2B11, 120mm) missing.

The SMM revisited permanent storage sites, whose locations corresponded with the withdrawal lines. At Ukrainian Armed Forces sites, the SMM noted that 22 tanks (T-64) and seven mortars (five 2B9M, 82mm; and two BM-38, 82mm) remained missing. In addition, the SMM also observed missing for the first time 36 tanks (T-64) and seven mortars (BM-37, 82mm). The SMM noted that one of those sites continues to be abandoned and another site has been newly abandoned.

The SMM observed the presence of armoured combat vehicles (ACV) and anti-aircraft weapons in the security zone. In government-controlled areas the SMM saw: one anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23) near Lomakyne (15km north-east of Mariupol); one light-armoured vehicle (Kraz Cougar) mounted with a heavy machine-gun heading north near Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk). In “LPR”-controlled areas, the SMM saw: one anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23) at an “LPR” checkpoint south-east of Shchastia across the contact line; one infantry fighting vehicle (BTR) heading north near Kalynove (60km west of Luhansk). Aerial surveillance imagery available to the SMM revealed the presence on 3 August of 33 armoured vehicles and 169 military-type trucks in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city, in addition to aforementioned present in the same compound as the tanks (see above).

The SMM followed up on reports about cuts to water and power supply in areas of Avdiivka and Yasynuvata due to shelling. In Avdiivka, the Ukrainian Armed Forces officer at the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) told the SMM that at around 23:00 on 3 August, water and power supply to the town had been interrupted as shelling had caused damage to power transmission lines and to the Donetsk water filtration station located between Avdiivka and Yasynuvata. At Yasynuvata railway station, an employee (a woman in her thirties), stated that at approximately 04:00 of the day the water supply had been interrupted affecting large parts of the town. She added that most residents currently used water from private wells and bottled water.

The SMM continued to follow up on the incident of 2 August when SMM monitors were threatened at gunpoint at a known Ukrainian Armed Forces position on the road from government-controlled Lopaskyne to Lobacheve (24 and 17km north-west of Luhansk, respectively) (see: SMM Spot Report, 3 August 2016). At the JCCC in government-controlled Soledar (79km north of Donetsk), the Ukrainian Armed Forces chief-of-staff told the SMM that the perpetrators had been identified. The SMM also requested the meeting with a senior “DPR” member to follow up on the incident of 29 July when SMM monitors were threatened at gunpoint by aggressive armed “DPR” members near Lukove (72km south of Donetsk) (see: SMM Spot Report, 30 July 2016). He subsequently  refused  the request.*

The SMM observed the presence of explosive remnants of war (ERW) in “DPR”-controlled Debaltseve (58km north-east of Donetsk). The SMM for the first time saw a tailfin of a multiple-launch rocket system (BM-27 Uragan, 220mm) stuck in soil 30m away from an inhabited house and some 50 rusty shells of 82mm mortars (without fuses) scattered in a nearby field.

The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure. Positioned on both sides of the contact line, the SMM monitored the cleaning and widening of canals that provide water to the Shchastia power plant, repair works to the Mykhailivka-Lysychansk high power line near Zolote (government-controlled, 60km north-west of Luhansk), repair works to gas pipelines in areas between “LPR”-controlled Slovianoserbsk and Pryshyb (28 and 34km north-west of Luhansk, respectively).

The SMM continued to observe queues at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. In the morning, at a checkpoint in “DPR”-controlled Olenivka (23km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM observed 132 cars waiting in a queue to cross into government-controlled areas and six cars in the opposite direction. A man in his forties told the SMM that he had been waiting for four hours since 06:00. A man in his early thirties with his wife and 8-year-old son stated that they were travelling to receive medical treatment for his son in government-controlled areas, expressing his concern as his son should not stay in the sun for a long time.  

*Restrictions to SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to the fulfilment of its mandate

The SMM’s monitoring is restrained by security hazards and threats, including risks posed by mines and unexploded ordnance, and by restrictions of its freedom of movement and other impediments – which vary from day to day. The SMM’s mandate provides for safe and secure access throughout Ukraine. All signatories of the Package of Measures have agreed on the need for this safe and secure access, that restriction of the SMM’s freedom of movement constitutes a violation, and on the need for rapid response to these violations.

Denial of access:

• In government-controlled Hranitne (25km north of Mariupol), armed Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel did not allow the SMM to enter a military compound. The JCCC was informed.
• Armed Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel denied the SMM access to a military compound in government-controlled Myrne (40km north-east of Mariupol), citing orders from their superior. The JCCC was informed. 
• A senior “DPR” member refused to meet with SMM, when it attempted to follow up on the incident 29 July near Lukove.

Conditional access:

• Armed “LPR” members at a checkpoint immediately south of the bridge at Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north of Luhansk) allowed the SMM to proceed only after taking the names and ID card numbers of SMM monitors.

[1] Please see the annexed table for a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations as well as map of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions marked with locations featured in this report.

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MOSCOW, 5 August 2016 – On the occasion of the formal opening of the election observation mission (EOM) deployed by the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to observe the 18 September State Duma elections in the Russian Federation, the mission will hold a press conference in Moscow on Monday, 8 August 2016.

Jan Petersen, the head of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission, will introduce the role of the EOM and its upcoming activities.

Journalists are invited to attend the press conference at 15:00, Monday, 8 August, at Interfax, 1-ya Tverskaya-Yamskaya ul., 2 Moscow, 127006.

For further information, please contact Inta Lase OSCE/ODIHR EOM Media Analyst, at +79166214710 (mobile) or Inta.Lase@odihr.ru

or

Thomas Rymer, OSCE/ODIHR Spokesperson, at +48 609 522 266 (Warsaw mobile) or at thomas.rymer@odihr.pl.

 

 

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257951 Communication and Media Relations Section

Representatives of relevant ministries and other state agencies of Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan responsible for implementing provisions of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540 on preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction met at an OSCE-supported peer review meeting in Minsk from 2 and 5 August 2016, to discuss progress in their work.

Experts from the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs and the UN Security Council’s 1540 Committee also attended the meeting, which was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, and is the second event of its kind to be held in the OSCE region and in the world, and the first to be held in trilateral format.

Opening the event, Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Valentin Rybakov said that the issues of non-proliferation are among his country’s priorities in the area of international security.

He noted that Belarus was the first state of the former Soviet Union to voluntarily refuse the opportunity to possess weapons of mass destruction, and that the withdrawal of such weapons from the country’s territory was completed in 1996. Rybakov added that his country also initiated the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution on prohibiting the development and manufacture of new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons.

Adriana Volenikova of the  OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre said regional co-operation on UNSCR 1540-related issues has become one of the most efficient means in bolstering national implementation and enhancing an open dialogue between countries that face similar challenges and benefit from close interaction in related areas.

The three States will work on a joint report on implementation and later submit it to the UNSC 1540 Committee and the UN Security Council.

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DUSHANBE, 5 August 2016 – Twenty officers  of the Tajik Border Troops, ranked between warrant officer and major, mainly coming from border detachments  on the Afghan and Tajik border, successfully completed a four-week course today on patrolling and leadership at the Gissar Training Centre in Dushanbe.

The course, organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, focused on enhancing participants’ knowledge of conducting observation missions using topographical maps, satellite imagery and other tools. They also learned about reporting and analysis, repelling methods, communications and tactical movement.

Uniforms and common tactical equipment were given to each participant. Separate medical lessons were delivered by trainers from the United States Embassy in Tajikistan. The sessions on gender mainstreaming and demining awareness were delivered by experts of the OSCE Office. Two officers of the Tajik Border Troops, who previously passed the course, also supported the OSCE in delivering the lessons.

OSCE Office in Tajikistan Counter-terrorism and Police issues Adviser Wolfgang Nikolaus, congratulated the officers on completing the course and said: “The OSCE continues supporting efforts to enhance the capacity of Tajik Border Troops Staff by providing such high-quality training courses."

The course is the eighth to be held under the third phase of the Patrol Programming and Leadership Project. The Project aims to increase the capacities of Tajik border staff in detection and interdiction of illegal cross-border movements.

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