Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 22 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. In Donetsk region the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations, but more explosions, compared with ceasefire violations recorded between the evenings of 20 and 21 May. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations. It observed damage from gunfire in residential areas in Dokuchaievsk. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The SMM saw for the first time a mine hazard sign near Kruta Hora. The Mission visited a border area currently not controlled by the Government. In Odessa the SMM monitored a protest by internally displaced persons. In Kyiv the Mission followed up on reports of an explosion at the office of a political party.

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], but more explosions (about 430) compared with ceasefire violations recorded between the evenings of 20 and 21 May, which included about 370 explosions.

While in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city, on the night of 21 May, the SMM heard 62 undetermined explosions 8-15km north-west.

On the evening and night of 21 May the SMM camera at the “DPR”-controlled Oktiabr mine (9km north-west of Donetsk city centre) recorded, in sequence: one airburst, three undetermined explosions, nine projectiles in flight east to west, one in flight from west to east, 15 tracer rounds in flight from west to east, ten tracer rounds in flight east to west, one projectile in flight from west to east and one undetermined explosion, all 4-6km north-north-east. Later that night, the camera recorded one undetermined explosion followed by a total of 11 undetermined explosions, 13 projectiles in flight (seven west to east, six east to west) and 20 tracer rounds in flight (ten from west to east, ten east to west), all 4-6km north-north-east.

On the evening and night of 21-22 May the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded ten undetermined explosions 4-6km east. A short while later, the camera recorded: in sequence - one undetermined explosion, three projectiles in flight from south to north, two projectiles in flight from north to south; followed by a total of seven undetermined explosions, 22 tracer rounds (ten in flight from north to south, 12 from east to west) and one projectile in flight from west to east, all 4-6km east-south-east. On the evening of 22 May, the camera recorded eight undetermined explosions 3-5km east-south-east.

On the evening and night of 21-22 May, while in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 22 explosions, 16 of which it assessed as caused by outgoing rounds of infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1) cannon (73mm): nine 4-6km south-west and seven 7km north-west, as well as bursts of small-arms fire mostly 4-6km south-west. The same night, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), in 90 minutes before dawn the SMM heard 100 undetermined explosions 7km south-west. While in “DPR”-controlled Debaltseve (58km north-east of Donetsk), at about the same time before dawn, the SMM heard 21 explosions assessed as outgoing rounds of unknown weapons and 21 subsequent impacts, all at unknown distances north-west.

On the night of 21-22 May the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence: three tracer rounds in flight from west to east, one rocket-assisted projectile in flight from south-west to north-east, at unknown distances north-east. Later the same night the camera recorded a total of four undetermined explosions, 15 tracer rounds in flight (nine from west to east, six from east to west) and one rocket-assisted projectile in flight from south-west to north-east, all at unknown distances north-east.

Positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for about five hours, the SMM heard 58 undetermined explosions mostly 2-4km west.

Positioned at the northern edge of government-controlled Orlivske (23km north-east of Mariupol), within 40 minutes before noon, the SMM heard and saw 18 explosions assessed as impacts of rounds of unknown weapons and heard 37 undetermined explosions at locations ranging from 3km to 5km east-south-east and heard two explosions assessed as caused by outgoing rounds of unknown weapons 2km south-south-west. Positioned at the eastern edge of government-controlled Talakivka (17km north-east of Mariupol) at about the same time, the SMM heard 33 undetermined explosions at unknown distances north-east.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including 38 explosions compared with those recorded between the evenings of 20 and 21 May (86 explosions).

Positioned in “LPR”-controlled Irmino (54km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 20 explosions assessed as outgoing rounds of unknown weapons 5km south-west.

The SMM continued to follow up on reports of damage to civilian property caused by gunfire. In “DPR”-controlled Dokuchaievsk (30km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM saw damage to four residential properties. At 98 Lenina Street, the SMM saw a fresh impact site to the concrete upper part of the south-west-facing balcony of a top-floor apartment at a five-storey building, which it assessed as caused by a bullet (23mm) fired from a west-south-westerly direction. Outside, south-west of the building, the SMM saw a tree damaged by what the SMM assessed had been a bullet and a shattered south-west-facing window of a second floor apartment. At 100 Lenina Street the SMM saw glass on the floor and a south-west-facing window broken of a first floor apartment at a five-storey building, which it assessed as having been broken recently due to a heavy-machine-gun round fired from a south-westerly direction. At 102 Lenina Street, the SMM saw a broken south-west-facing window of a fourth-floor apartment (at a five-storey building) and glass on the floor. The SMM assessed that the damage had been caused by a heavy-machine-gun round fired from a west-south-westerly direction. At 9 Vatutina Street, at a second-floor apartment at a five-storey building, the SMM saw minor damage to the wall and a broken south-west-facing window. Residents told the SMM no one had been injured at any of the four properties.

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.*

Positioned in “LPR”-controlled areas south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the SMM heard three undetermined explosions at least 5km north, assessed as outside the disengagement area.

Positioned 1.5km west of government-controlled Zolote-4 (60km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard seven shots of automatic grenade launcher and five-six bursts of heavy machine-gun fire, 4-6km south-west , assessed as outside the Zolote disengagement area. Positioned at the north-west edge of “LPR”-controlled Pervomaisk (58km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard eight outgoing explosions, assessed as caused by artillery rounds of unknown calibre 5km south-west, assessed as outside the disengagement area.

Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM saw an armoured truck (KRAZ) mounted with a heavy machine-gun at the northern entrance of the Stanytsia Luhanska entry-exit crossing point.

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 the SMM saw one towed howitzer (D-20, 152mm) hitched to a military truck, 5km west of government-controlled Novoaidar (49km north-west of Luhansk) moving west.

Beyond withdrawal lines, but outside storage sites, the SMM saw one towed mortar (2B16, 120mm) hitched to a stationary military truck 2km west of government-controlled Dmytrivka (43km north of Luhansk).

The SMM observed weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage does not comply with the criteria set in the 16 October 2015 notification. In a non-government-controlled area the SMM saw five self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) and noted two self-propelled howitzers (2S1) missing, one of which for the first time.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles[2] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas the SMM saw one IFV (BMP-1) on a flatbed truck (MAZ-537) at a checkpoint near Petrivka (27km north of Luhansk) moving west.

The SMM again saw fresh tank (T-64) tracks going from east to west 0.8km south-south-west from Debaltseve city centre. (See SMM Daily Report 19 May 2017.) The track trace disappeared after approximately 1.2km.

On 21 May an SMM mini unmanned aerial vehicle spotted two IFVs (one BMP-1, one BMP-2) in a compound in Dokuchaievsk.

The SMM saw for the first time a mine hazard sign erected in the middle of a tarmac road at the gate area of an abandoned children’s summer camp at the northern edge of “LPR”-controlled Kruta Hora (16km north-west of Luhansk). The sign was a 20x20cm red square on a stick, with white letters reading “Mines” in Russian.

The SMM visited a border area currently not under government control. At the Marynivka border crossing point (78km east of Donetsk), in about an hour, the SMM saw three civilian cars (two with Russian Federation licence plates, one with “DPR” plates) and three covered cargo trucks (with Ukrainian licence plates) in a queue to exit Ukraine. The SMM saw eight civilian cars (four with Russian Federation licence plates, three with Ukrainian licence plates, and one with “LPR” plates) enter Ukraine.

The SMM monitored a protest by people known to the SMM as internally displaced persons (IDPs) at 28a Borovskoho Street in Odessa city, where the Odessa regional power company (Oblenergo) is located. The SMM saw 75 participants (mostly women, different age groups), including about 20 pre-school and school-aged children and four men known to the SMM as Odessa Self-defence activists in military-style clothing with insignia of the group. Some IDPs said that they and residents of their building, who were not IDPs, were there to demand that the company re-connects the power at the communal building located at 4 Uspenska Street in Odessa city, which, they added, had been turned off on 19 May due to unpaid bills. Earlier in the day, the SMM had been to the building and noted that there was no power. The SMM saw about two thirds of the protestors, including some children, enter the building. Shortly thereafter, a Self-defence activist called for all of the remaining children to enter. After they did, he stood in front of the building’s main entrance and announced that no one else was allowed to enter or leave. Over the next 90 minutes, four Self-defence activists blocked both Oblenergo employees and other citizens from accessing the building. The SMM saw four police officers approach the entrance together with an Oblenergo employee. Then, the Self-defence activists announced that the building would be “unblocked.” Later, the female leader of an IDP non-governmental organization told the SMM that the power had been reconnected.

The SMM followed up on media reports of an explosion in Kyiv at an office of the National Corps party on 9/8 Zoi Haidai Street in the Obolon district. At the site, the SMM saw black scorch marks on an exterior wall and some damage to the ground in front of the office. The office was not open while the SMM was there. A police report said that the incident took place before sunrise that day, no injuries were reported and an investigation had been launched.

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

*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:

• A Ukrainian officer of the JCCC told the SMM that no demining activities had taken place during the previous 24 hours in the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and that, with the exception of the main road, the Mission’s safety could not be guaranteed in the surrounding areas due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC on both occasions.
• An armed “LPR” member told the SMM that he could not guarantee the safety of the Mission in the Zolote disengagement area due to the possible presence of mines and UXO, as no demining activity had taken place. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC both times.
• The SMM could not travel across the bridge in government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk) as Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel said no demining had taken place and that the road south of the bridge remained mined. The Mission informed the JCCC both times.
• An unarmed “DPR” member denied the SMM access to a compound near “DPR”-controlled Dokuchaievsk. The Mission informed the JCCC.
• The SMM was unable to access a “DPR” permanent storage site as the guard said he had no keys to open one of the storage buildings. 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.