Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 4 May 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations. The Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region but fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Avdiivka. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The SMM observed demining activity as well as the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO). The Mission monitored two border areas currently not under government control.

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations[1], including about 150 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (120 explosions).

On the night of 3-4 May, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard about 20 explosions, of which 16 were assessed as outgoing rounds of tank (type undetermined) and infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1) cannon (73mm) fire and four impacts of mortar (82mm) rounds, 2-2.5km south-east, and eight explosions assessed as outgoing artillery (122mm) rounds about 3km west. The following day, at the same location, the SMM heard 17 explosions (14 assessed as impacts of mortar (120mm) and artillery (122mm) rounds and three assessed as outgoing recoilless gun (SPG-9, 73mm) rounds) about 2km south-east.

On 4 May, positioned in government-controlled Nelipivka (40km north-east of Donetsk) for about half an hour, the SMM heard ten undetermined explosions 5-6km south-south-west. Positioned at the “DPR”-controlled Donetsk central railway station (6km north-west of Donetsk city centre), the SMM heard about 20 undetermined explosions and over 30 bursts of small-arms fire, all 2-4km north and north-north-east.

On the evening and night of 3-4 May the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded one airburst, one explosion and nine projectiles in flight from north to south, followed by aggregated totals of four undetermined explosions, ten projectiles in flight from west to east and five illumination flares in vertical flight, all 3-5km east-south-east. The following day, positioned in Avdiivka for about three hours, the SMM heard about 20 undetermined explosions, all 2-4km south and south-east.

On 3 May, positioned at the “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata  railway station (16km north-east of Donetsk) for about five hours, the SMM heard three undetermined explosions and one minute of uncountable overlapping explosions assessed as outgoing rounds of multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) (type undetermined), all 3-7km west.

On the evening and night of 3-4 May 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, one projectile in flight from west to east, 12 projectiles in flight from east to west, three projectiles in flight from west to east, one illumination flare in vertical flight, six projectiles in flight from east to west, two undetermined explosions and one projectile in flight from east to west, all 4-6km north-north-east.

On 4 May, positioned in government-controlled Bohdanivka (41km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM heard and saw nine explosions assessed as impacts 5-7km north-north-west, and heard two undetermined explosions at 3-5km south-south-east and at an unknown distance north.

On the evening and night of 3-4 May the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded eleven tracer rounds in flight from south-west to north-east, assessed as fire from an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) and IFV (BMP-2) cannon (30mm), followed by a total of 230 tracer rounds in flight (117 from east to west and 113 from west to east), all 2.5km north-north-east.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including five explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (seven explosions).

On 4 May, positioned in government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard four undetermined explosions 3-5km south-east.

The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties. On 4 May, at a hospital in government-controlled Avdiivka the SMM saw a woman (81 years old) with bandages on her left lower leg and right thigh who told the SMM that she had suffered injuries from an explosion that occurred in the backyard of her residence at 31 Sportyvna Street on the morning of 4 May. Medical staff at the same hospital told the SMM that she had been admitted with shrapnel wounds to her legs. The medical staff also told the SMM that another woman (55 years old) had suffered shrapnel wounds to her left leg on the same day as a result of an explosion in Avdiivka.

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 night of 3 May the SMM camera in government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska recorded one projectile in flight from north-north-east to south-south-west about 700m south-south-west, followed by one projectile in flight from south to north about 300m south-west, both of which subsequently exploded in the air (one explosion assessed as inside the disengagement area and one outside). The camera also recorded eleven tracer rounds in flight from north-north-west to south-south-east assessed as inside the disengagement area. The following day, positioned at the government-controlled checkpoint of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (16km north-east of Luhansk), the SMM heard one undetermined explosion 2-4km south-east (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

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

In violation of respective withdrawal lines, in non-government-controlled areas, on 3 May the SMM saw three MLRS (BM-21), three surface-to-air-missile systems (9K35 Strela-10, 120mm), six tanks (three T-64 and three T-72), three mortars (2B11 Sani, 120mm), three anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm), three self-propelled howitzers (2S1) and six towed howitzers (three D-20, 152mm and three D-30) in Donetsk city centre. The SMM continued to observe seven MLRS (BM-21 Grad, 122mm), seven self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm), ten towed howitzers (five D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm; five 2A65 Msta-B, 152mm), and seven tanks (T-72) at an aerodrome in the south-eastern outskirts of Luhansk city. The SMM also saw one tank (T-64) with a front-mounted mine sweeper conducting demining operations near Nikishyne (60km north-east of Donetsk); one stationary tank (T-64) in Verkhnoshyrokivske (formerly Oktiabr, 29km north-east of Mariupol).

In violation of withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas, the SMM saw 14 towed howitzers (2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm) at the train station in Bakhmut (formerly Artemivsk, 67km north of Donetsk).

The SMM revisited four “DPR” permanent storage sites* whose location corresponded with the respective withdrawal lines and observed as missing 18 tanks (two T-64 and six T-72 previously noted as missing and five T-64 and five T-72 noted as missing for the first time), nine mortars (2B14 Podnos, 82mm; noted as missing for the first time), 15 anti-tank guns (MT-12; noted as missing for the first time), 15 towed howitzers (six 2A65 and nine D-30; all previously noted as missing), three self-propelled howitzers (2S1; previously noted as missing) and seven MLRS (BM-21; previously noted as missing). 

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles, anti-aircraft guns[2] and tracks assessed as those of tanks in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, on 3 May the SMM observed an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23) mounted on the back of a truck heading west, and the following day an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23) mounted on a military truck facing north-west in Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk); an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23) near Voitove (33km north-west of Luhansk).

In non-government-controlled areas, the SMM saw three armoured personnel carriers (APC) (BMP-1) in Donetsk city; 17 APCs (ten MT-LB, seven BTR-80) and seven IFVs (BMP-2) in the south-eastern outskirts of Luhansk city, along with about 400 persons, of whom about 300 were armed. They were dressed in military-style clothing and marching or cleaning and repairing weapons at the site (see withdrawal of weapons above).

In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw fresh tank tracks (T-64) near Kalynivka (11km north-east of Mariupol) heading south-east and fresh tracks of one tank (T-64) near Lebedynske (16km north-east of Mariupol) heading north-north-east.

The SMM observed demining activity as well as the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO). In the western outskirts of Luhansk city, the SMM observed “LPR” members demine the side of the N21 road. They told the SMM that it had been requested by the Luhansk Electric Company to demine the area for the maintenance of electric wires nearby. The SMM saw again remnants of two mortar (120mm) rounds partly embedded in the asphalt road 1km south of “DPR”-controlled Sakhanka (24km north-east of Mariupol). (See SMM Daily Report 10 April 2017). The SMM saw one tank (T-64) with a front-mounted mine sweeper conducting demining operations near Nikishyne.

The SMM monitored two border areas currently not under government control. On 4 May, at a border crossing point near Marynivka (78km east of Donetsk), in about 30 minutes, the SMM saw 32 civilian cars (22 with Ukrainian licence plates, eight with Russian Federation licence plates and two with “DPR” plates) and one fuel truck with Ukrainian licence plates in a queue to exit Ukraine. It also observed seven civilian cars (six with Ukrainian licence plates and one with “DPR” plates) and one truck with Ukrainian licence plates enter Ukraine.

At a border crossing point near Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk), in about 30 minutes, the SMM saw 55 trucks (21 with “DPR” plates, and 20 with Ukrainian, nine with Belarusian and five with Russian Federation licence plates) and 23 civilian cars (12 with Russian Federation licence plates, seven with Ukrainian licence plates and four with “DPR” plates) in a queue to exit Ukraine. It also observed ten civilian cars (six with Ukrainian licence plates, three with “DPR” plates and one with Georgian licence plates) and one truck with “DPR” plates 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 Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) should contribute to such response and co-ordinate mine clearance.

Denial of access:

• At 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.
• The SMM could not travel east from government-controlled Bohdanivka, as Ukrainian officers of the JCCC said that anti-tank mines were still present on the road. The SMM informed the JCCC.
• At a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint north of the bridge in government-controlled Shchastia, 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 revisited two weapons permanent storage sites in “DPR”-controlled areas. Due to the absence of guards, however, the SMM was not able to access the sites. 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.