Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 27 April 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the incident of 23 April near Pryshyb, which affected its observations, including of ceasefire violations. The Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region but fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted at all three and elsewhere.* The Mission continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure in Luhansk region. The Mission continued to monitor the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. The SMM visited a border area currently not under government control near Voznesenivka.

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations,[1] including about 400 explosions compared with the previous reporting period (240 explosions).

During the day of 27 April, positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for about six hours, the SMM heard over 170 undetermined explosions, 120 bursts and over 50 shots of small-arms fire at locations ranging from 1km to 7km, mostly east-south-east, south-west and west-south-west.

On the night of 26-27 April, while in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city the SMM heard about 40 undetermined explosions 8-10km north-west.

On the evening of 26 April the SMM camera at the “DPR”-controlled Oktiabr mine (9km north-west of Donetsk city centre) recorded, in sequence, one illumination flare in vertical flight, three projectiles in flight from south-west to north-east, three undetermined explosions, six tracer rounds in flight from north to south, one illumination flare in vertical flight, one projectile in flight from south-west to north east and one undetermined explosion, all 8-10km north-east.

On the night of 26-27 April the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded one projectile in flight from north to south, followed by two projectiles in flight from south to north and one undetermined explosion. Approximately two hours later, the camera recorded, in sequence, one illumination flare, one projectile in flight from north to south, 26 tracer rounds from south to north and one projectile from north to south. All these violations were recorded 3-5km east-south-east. The following day, positioned in Avdiivka for about three hours, the SMM heard about 70 undetermined explosions and almost 150 bursts and shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 2-5km east-south-east, south-east and south.

On the evening of 26 April, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 60 explosions (22 assessed as outgoing rounds and eight as impacts of rounds from undetermined weapons, and the remainder undetermined) and nearly 120 bursts and shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 2-5km south-east.

On the evening of 26 April, while in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 17 undetermined explosions and seven bursts, assessed as mostly fire from infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-2) cannon (30mm), all 4-6km south and south-south-west. The SMM also saw about 40 tracer rounds in vertical flight, assessed as fire from an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) 5-6km north.

On the evening and night of 26-27 April, the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded an exchange of fire that began with two undetermined explosions followed by two tracer rounds in flight from west to east, at undetermined distances north. In the ensuing exchange the camera recorded a total of: 150 tracer rounds in flight (88 south-east to north-west and 62 east to west), almost 100 tracer rounds in flight from west to east, and 21 rocket-assisted projectiles in flight (20 east to west and one south-east to north-west), all at undetermined distances north and north-north-east.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including seven explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (125 explosions). On 27 April, positioned in “LPR”-controlled Kruta Hora (16km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 25 undetermined explosions approximately 10km west.

The SMM observed five fresh craters, assessed as caused by mortar fire, in a field 25-30m north-east of a road and 25m north-east of a checkpoint in “LPR”-controlled Molodizhne (63km north-west of Luhansk).   

The SMM continued to monitor the disengagement process and to pursue full access to the disengagement areas of Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk), Zolote (60km west of Luhansk) and Petrivske (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 the morning of 27 April, positioned inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area the SMM heard one explosion 5km north-west. Later the same day, positioned inside the Zolote disengagement area the SMM heard one explosion about 10km north-west. Both explosions were assessed as having occurred outside the disengagement areas.

An “LPR” demining team accompanied by Russian officers of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) facilitated the recovery of an SMM mini unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which conducted an uncontrolled landing in an “LPR”-controlled area south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge in December 2016. (See SMM Daily Report 7 December 2016.)

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

In violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas, the SMM observed seven multiple-launch rocket systems (BM-21 Grad, 122mm), seven self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm), ten towed howitzers (five D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm; and five 2A65 Msta-B, 152mm), seven surface-to-air missiles (9K35 Strela-10, 120mm) and seven tanks (T-72) at an aerodrome in the south-eastern outskirts of Luhansk city. (See SMM Spot Report 5 April 2017.)

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles (AVCs)[2] in the security zone. In non-government-controlled areas the SMM saw seven IFVs (BMP-2) and 12 armoured personnel carriers (five MT-LB and seven BTR-variant) at an aerodrome in the south-eastern outskirts of Luhansk city. In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw one IFV (BMP-1) moving west near Syze (23km north-east of Luhansk), and aerial imagery revealed the presence on 26 April of two ACVs near Krymske (42km north-west of Luhansk) and 14 ACVs near Troitske (69km west of Luhansk).

The SMM facilitated and monitored, in co-ordination with the JCCC, repairs to essential infrastructure, including repair works to a gas pipeline in “LPR”-controlled Zhovte (17km north-west of Luhansk). The SMM also saw the Luhansk Electrical Company repairing the electrical cables near “LPR”-controlled Metalist (7km north-west of Luhansk).

The SMM observed demining activity as well as the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO). Accompanied by a Russian officer of the JCCC, the SMM saw a “DPR” demining team remove a piece of UXO, assessed as an abandoned fragmentation round (OG-7V, 40mm) about 1.5m from the H20 road between the entry-exit checkpoint in government-controlled Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk) and “DPR”-controlled Olenivka (23km south-west of Donetsk). In “DPR”-controlled Novohryhorivka (61km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM saw a piece of grey UXO partly embedded in the ground along the H20 road, one metre south of the roadside and about 200m south of the nearest houses. The SMM was unable to approach the site to assess the type of UXO due to security reasons.

The SMM monitored the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints. At 07:20 at an “LPR” checkpoint south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the SMM saw about 1,000 people queuing to travel towards government-controlled areas but no one queuing in the opposite direction. Three hours later, the SMM saw no one queuing. The SMM also observed medical staff at the checkpoint treating a woman (74 years old) who, they said, had probably had a heart attack. At 11:00, at the government checkpoint north of the bridge, the SMM saw about 1,000 people queuing to leave government-controlled areas but no one queuing in the opposite direction.

At a checkpoint in Horlivka the SMM observed about 350 pedestrians and about 250 vehicles queuing to travel towards government-controlled areas and about 150 pedestrians and about 60 vehicles queuing in the opposite direction.

The SMM monitored a border area currently not under government control. On 27 April, at the border crossing point Voznesenivka (formerly Chervonopartyzansk, 65km south-east of Luhansk), in about one hour, the SMM saw 12 civilian cars (eight with Ukrainian licence plates and four with Russian Federation licence plates) in a queue to exit Ukraine. It also observed 20 civilian cars (15 with Ukrainian licence plates and five with Russian Federation licence plates), one bus with Russian Federation licence plates (marked “Gukovo-Sverdlovsk”, carrying about 26 people) and five pedestrians exit Ukraine, and 14 civilian cars (ten with Ukrainian licence plates and four with Russian Federation licence plates) and three pedestrians enter Ukraine.

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

*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, 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 JCCC should contribute to such response and co-ordinate mine clearance.

Denial of access:

• At the edge of the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, a Ukrainian officer of the JCCC told the SMM that its safety still could not be guaranteed in the areas surrounding the main road due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. The SMM informed the JCCC.
• At an “LPR” checkpoint on the edge of the Zolote disengagement area, armed men told the SMM that its safety still could not be guaranteed in the fields and side roads due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. The SMM informed the JCCC.
• At a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint north of the bridge in government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk), Ukrainian Armed Forces officers told the SMM that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours and that the road south of the bridge was still mined. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.
• The SMM could not travel west from “DPR”-controlled Petrivske through the disengagement area due to a lack of security guarantees and the possible presence of mines. The SMM informed the JCCC.

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

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