Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 23 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 more ceasefire violations and explosions compared with the previous reporting period. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations. It followed up on civilian casualties treated at the Donetsk Trauma Hospital. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Donetsk city. It saw two tail fins of 82mm mortar rounds and pieces of unexploded ordnance for the first time near Sentianivka and Sakhanka. The Mission visited three border areas currently not controlled by the Government, in Marynivka, Uspenka and Ulianivske. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a public gathering. In Kherson region the Mission monitored the security situation at the administrative boundary line near Chaplynka.

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations[1], including about 600 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 430).

While in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city centre, on the night of 22 May, the SMM heard about 160 undetermined explosions 6-10km north-north-west. The following day while positioned at the “DPR”-controlled Donetsk railway station (6km north-west of Donetsk city centre) for about two hours, the SMM heard about 30 undetermined explosions and over 60 shots and bursts of small-arms fire 2-5km north and north-north-east.

On the evening and night of 22-23 May the SMM camera at the “DPR”-controlled Oktiabr mine (9km north-west of Donetsk city centre) recorded six explosions assessed as impacts, three airbursts, and, in sequence: three projectiles in flight from east to west, 15 in flight from west to east and three illumination flares, all 6-8km north-east.

On the evening and night of 22-23 May the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, 31 undetermined explosions, 15 projectiles in flight from south to north, four projectiles in flight from north to south, followed by aggregated totals of six illumination flares, 217 projectiles in flight (138 from south to north and 79 from north to south), ten tracer rounds in flight from south to north, an airburst and eight explosions assessed as impacts, all 3-5km east-south-east. On 23 May the same camera recorded 22 explosions assessed as impacts 2-6km at easterly directions. On the same day, while positioned in Avdiivka for about three hours, the SMM heard over 60 undetermined explosions assessed as impacts 3-5km at directions ranging from east to south.

On the evening of 22 May, while in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 41 explosions (29 assessed as outgoing rounds of unknown weapons, three as outgoing rounds of infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1) cannon (73mm) and nine assessed as impacts of rounds from undetermined weapon systems), all 5-9km west-north-west and north. On the same evening, the SMM saw 49 tracer rounds in flight from north-west to south-east, all 5-9km west-north-west. The SMM also saw 16 explosions assessed as outgoing rounds of undetermined weapons 10-15km south-west.

On the evening and night of 22-23 May the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded 72 tracer rounds in flight, in sequence, 55 from west to east, seven from east to west and ten from west to east, all at unknown distances north-east.

On 23 May, positioned in government-controlled Mariupol (102km south of Donetsk) for about one hour, the SMM heard 20 undetermined explosions and 15 explosions assessed as outgoing rounds of undetermined weapons, all at unknown distances north-east.

Positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for about three hours, the SMM heard almost 120 undetermined explosions (82 between 1-7km at a south-westerly direction, 31 between 1-7km at a north-westerly direction and three between 1-7km north-east).

On the evening and night of 23 May, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 70 undetermined explosions and about 70 shots and bursts of small-arms fire, all 2-8km at directions ranging from north-east to south-west.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations, including 34 explosions, compared with 38 in the previous reporting period.

On the evening of 22 May, while in “LPR”-controlled Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, 50km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 33 undetermined explosions 8-12km north-east.

The SMM continued to follow up on reports of civilian casualties and saw a crater near a residential area. At the Donetsk Trauma Hospital, medical staff told the SMM that a 44-year-old man had been admitted to the hospital on 22 May with multiple shrapnel wounds and an open fracture. The SMM spoke with the injured man in a hospital bed who said that he had been injured next to his house on Yasynuvatska Street 13 in “DPR”-controlled Yakovlivka (10km north of Donetsk), at about 20:40 on 22 May. He added that his house had been severely damaged from the shelling. The medical staff also told the SMM that a woman had been treated on 20 May with shrapnel wounds to her right shoulder. According to them, she had been injured from shelling at a bus station on 21 May in “DPR”-controlled Trudovskyi district (19km south-west of Donetsk city centre) (see SMM Daily Report 21 May 2017).

In government-controlled Svobodne (55km south of Donetsk), the SMM saw a crater at the north-eastern edge of a field, about 110m from the nearest house, assessed to have been caused by a 152mm artillery round fired from a north-easterly direction. The SMM spoke to five residents who separately told the SMM that shelling had occurred on 13 May.

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.*

While present in the disengagement areas near government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote, the SMM noted a calm situation.

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, the SMM saw a howitzer (D-30, 122mm), covered and towed by a military-type truck moving from north-east to south-west in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city.

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside storage sites, the SMM saw a tank (T-64) transported on a flatbed trailer heading south-west near government-controlled Yakovlivka (83km north of Donetsk).

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 government-controlled areas the SMM observed nine towed howitzers (2A65 Msta-B, 152mm) were present while 12 self-propelled howitzers (2S19 Msta-S, 152mm) were present for the first time. The SMM noted as missing six anti-tank guns (D-48, 85mm), seven self-propelled howitzers (2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm) and 43 towed howitzers (12 D-20, 152 mm; and 31 2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm), as previously observed. Two sites continued to be abandoned with 16 towed howitzers (D-20) and 11 self-propelled howitzers (2S3) missing. The SMM could not reach one such site in government-controlled areas due to security considerations.

The SMM revisited a Ukrainian Armed Forces permanent storage site and found it to be abandoned, as previously observed, with 14 mortars (2B11 Sani, 120mm) missing.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles[2] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas the SMM saw an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (BRDM) and an armoured vehicle Kraz Cougar, each mounted with a machine-gun, heading south on road H-21 about 3km north-east of Peredilske (24km north-west of Luhansk) and an APC (BTR-80) stationary near Pavlopil (26km north-east of Mariupol).

In non-government-controlled areas the SMM saw an APC (BTR-70) in Donetsk city.

The SMM continued to observe the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). On 23 May, the SMM saw, for the first time, the tail fin of an 82mm mortar protruding from road T-1317 about 2km north-east of “LPR”-controlled Sentianivka (formerly Frunze, 44km west of Luhansk). In “DPR”-controlled Sakhanka (24km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM saw, for the first time, the tail fin of an 82mm mortar round, three pieces of UXO (type unknown) and a marked crater assessed as containing a UXO (type unknown) in the tarmac north of the E58-Sakhanka junction, as well as the tail fins of two 82mm mortar rounds. At a checkpoint area near “DPR”-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske (formerly Oktiabr, 29km north-east of Mariupol), four armed “DPR” members told the SMM that it could proceed to confirm the removal of mines in an area previously known to SMM to have contained mines (see SMM Daily Report 17 May 2017). Shortly afterwards, however, another four “DPR” members aggressively told the SMM to leave the area.* The SMM departed immediately and did not see any mines while observing the area.

The SMM monitored and facilitated demining activities, near a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint 3.5km east of government-controlled Popasna (69km north-west of Luhansk). The SMM observed a Ukrainian Armed Forces demining team remove seven anti-tank mines (See SMM Daily Report 18 May 2017).

The SMM visited three border areas currently not under government control. At the Marynivka border crossing point (78km east of Donetsk), in about an hour, the SMM saw eight civilian cars (three with Russian Federation and five with Ukrainian licence plates) and three covered cargo trucks (one with Russian licence plates and two with “DPR” plates) in a queue to exit Ukraine. The SMM saw two covered cargo trucks with Russian Federation licence plates queuing to enter Ukraine. On the same day, at the Uspenka border crossing point (73km south-east of Donetsk), in about 20 minutes the SMM saw a civilian car with Ukrainian licence plates and 12 covered cargo trucks (two with Belarusian and eight with Ukrainian licence plates, and two with “DPR” plates) in a queue to exit Ukraine. The SMM also saw 12 civilian cars (six with Ukrainian and one with Russian Federation licence plates, and five with “DPR” plates), entering Ukraine. At the Ulianivske border crossing point (61km south-east of Donetsk), the SMM did not observe any civilians or vehicles while present for about 45 minutes.

On 23 May in Kyiv, the SMM monitored a public gathering outside the Cabinet of Ministers building. The SMM observed a group of about 1,000 people (mostly middle-aged women) and saw signs related to salaries and protecting the rights of medical workers. The SMM saw the protesters block Hrushevskoho Street between 10:00 and 11:00. There were about 50 National Guard officers and two buses carrying riot police parked nearby at Mariinskyi Park, as well as an additional 30 National Guard officers in front of the entrance to the Cabinet of Ministers building. The demonstration concluded peacefully.

On 21 May, the SMM monitored the security situation near Chaplynka (90km south-east of Kherson) at the administrative boundary line between Kherson region and the Crimean peninsula and found that the markings for two minefields on both sides of the road that connects the village of Preobrazhenka (formerly Chervonyi Chaban, 90km south-east of Kherson) and Chaplynka crossing point were no longer visible. The SMM has observed these markings since 2014 on a weekly basis. When travelling between Chaplynka crossing point and the village of Preobrazhenka, along the west-side of the road, the SMM saw nine faded mine signs over a 1,200m stretch of road. The rest of the road was either unmarked or partially marked with rotten wooden-sticks. The SMM assessed that this road could pose danger to travellers in adverse weather conditions or to those who are unfamiliar with the area.

The SMM continued monitoring in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odessa 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• At a checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske, four armed “DPR” members initially gave the SMM permission to observe the removal of mines. Shortly afterwards, however, another four armed “DPR” members aggressively told the SMM to leave the area immediately.

[1] Please see the annexed 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.