The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) speaks cautiously about the hope for an end to the conflict in eastern Ukraine due to lower gunfire intensity.

In comparison with the previous four weeks, the number of ceasefire breaches in eastern Ukraine has dropped by 35% this week, OSCE SMM Principal Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug said at a news briefing in Kyiv on Friday. The OSCE mission has recorded falling gunfire intensity in the area of Donetsk airport, Yasynuvata, Avdiyivka, and in the Svitlodarsk area, he said. This gives some grounds for cautious hope for the end of the conflict, Hug said.