Number of civilian casualties decreased significantly in Donbas in 2019 - OSCE

This is said in a statement by Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Heidi Grau, after the meeting of the TCG ‎and its working groups in Minsk on January 16, 2020:

“Last year, the figures of civilian casualties decreased significantly reaching the lowest level since the beginning of the conflict. In January this year, compared to late 2019, the number of ceasefire violations sizably dropped,” she said.

Grau stressed that it is important to note that last year not a single child fatality was reported.

At the same time, she noted that mines remained the main cause of casualties among civilians, and in connection therewith, she called on the sides to strengthen demining activities.

The OSCE special representative welcomed the exchange of detainees that took place in late December 2019 according to the formula “all identified for all identified”: “It was a major breakthrough and a factor building confidence among the sides”.

When commenting on the TCG meeting and its working groups, she said that “they primarily focused on the implementation of the conclusions of the Normandy Summit in Paris”.

“The main discussion topic of the Security Working Group was the identification of additional areas for the disengagement of forces and hardware. The Humanitarian Working Group took stock of the exchange of detainees of 29 December 2019. The Economic Working Group discussed the issues of water deliveries in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (CADR and CALR). The Political Working Group addressed issues related to the special status of CADR and CALR as well as the implementation of the ‘Steinmeier formula’ into Ukrainian legislation,” Grau said.

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