Daily and spot reports from the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine

The second day of Easter passed quietly in the overwhelming majority of Ukrainian regions, including Odessa and Kherson. Huge tension remained in Donbas (Donetsk and Luhansk districts) related to the activities of opponents of the Government, some of whom were armed, and due to the continued occupation of administrative buildings. The situation was cause for increased concern in Luhansk, where local separatists elected their own governor and called for a referendum on joining Russia.

Over the holiday weekend the situation in the western and central Ukraine was calm. Tensions remained in the Donbas- the separatists continued the occupation of the building of the state security service (SBU) in Luhansk as well as several other administrative buildings in Donetsk Oblast. Due to the proximity to this region, the situation in parts of southern and eastern Ukraine remains tense. Both proponents of the unitary Ukraine and separatists declared that their implementation of the Geneva statement depends on the mutual, synchronized disarmament and vacation of buildings.

Teams of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) gauged reaction to the Geneva Statement of 17 April. The situation in Western and Central Ukraine remains calm. In Luhansk and Donetsk districts it is tense owing to the continued activity of armed opponents of the central government. In the southern part of the country and in other parts of Eastern Ukraine, the situation was assessed as stable and relatively calm.

The situation in Western and Central Ukraine remains calm, whereas in Luhansk and Donetsk districts it is tense due to the activity of armed opponents of the central government, and Ukrainian special forces conducting a “counter-terrorist operation”. In the southern part of the country and in other parts of Eastern Ukraine some tension was felt and, overall, the number of roadblocks in Kharkiv, Dnepropetrovsk, Kherson and Odessa appeared to have increased.

The situation in Western and Central Ukraine (Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi) remained calm and stable on 16 April with a routine police presence. In Kharkiv, Dnepropetrovsk, Kherson and Odessa districts the situation is stable. On highways in these areas, roadblocks have been built to secure districts from forces opposed to the Kyiv government. In Luhansk and Donetsk the situation was cause for serious concern due to the ongoing occupation of some administrative buildings and capture of other strategic locations by armed individuals.

The situation in Western and Central Ukraine (Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi) remained calm and stable with a routine police presence. Teams judged the situation in Kharkiv, Odessa and Kherson to be calmer, but the situation remained tense in the Dnepropetrovsk region, where roadblocks were being built to protect the region from groups opposed to the Kyiv government. In Luhansk and Donetsk the situation was cause for serious concern due to the ongoing occupation of some administrative buildings and capture of other strategic locations by armed individuals.

This update is provided for the media and the public Throughout the day of 14 April 2014, the western and central parts of Ukraine remained calm, with routine police presence, whereas the situation in the south-eastern and eastern regions of the country remained tense. The situation in Donetsk and Luhansk districts continued to cause concerns owing to the observed presence of masked individuals in several towns of the region, occupying several administrative buildings and erecting barricades and roadblocks.