Ukraine

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ann Linde, concluded a two-day official visit to Ukraine yesterday. She called on the sides to step up their efforts to find a sustainable peaceful resolution to the crisis in and around Ukraine.

The International Criminal Court's (ICC) chief prosecutor has said that a preliminary probe found possible war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Ukraine that warrant a full investigation by The Hague-based judges.

A recent ceasefire agreement in Donbas has resulted in a significant decrease in fighting between Ukrainian and Russian-led separatist forces and has raised hopes for the future of the Russian-Ukrainian peace talks.

France and Germany have welcomed Kyiv's opening of new crossing points along the contact line with separatist territory in Ukraine's east, and have called on separatist authorities and their ally Russia to respond in kind by opening crossing points to separatist-controlled areas.

Voters across Ukraine are casting ballots in local elections being held under a new Electoral Code that decentralizes power from Kyiv to local governing bodies. 

[…] This event is just one of the many EUAM initiatives to reach out to civil society and facilitate exchanges about various security and safety concerns.

Friday, 25 September, the European Union Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform (EUAM Ukraine) inaugurated its new Field Office in Mariupol. The inauguration marks the formation of the fourth EUAM regional presence in Ukraine since the Mission was established in December 2014.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission (EOM) for the 25 October local elections in Ukraine, … . The mission is led by Ingibjörg Sólrún Gisladóttir and consists of a core team of 15 experts based in Kyiv and 66 long-term observers, … . ODIHR also plans to request OSCE participating States to send 600 short-term observers, … .

UN officials say a cease-fire that took effect in July in eastern Ukraine appears to be holding and has resulted in a significant drop in civilian casualties.

Years of conflict have exacerbated the economic woes of Donbas, once an industrial powerhouse. Authorities in Kyiv should take steps now to aid pensioners and encourage small trade while also planning ahead for the region’s eventual reintegration with the rest of the country.