Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 26 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 SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period. It recorded more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Holmivskyi and Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city. The Mission monitored all three disengagement areas in Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Bohdanivka and observed ceasefire violations near all three areas and two shots fired inside the Stanytsia Luhansk disengagement area. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The SMM monitored and facilitated repairs to critical infrastructure in Kalynove and Kalynove-Borshchuvate in Luhansk region. The SMM visited four border areas not under government control.

The SMM recorded a similar total number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region including a similar number of explosions (237), compared with the previous reporting period (230).[1]

While in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city centre on the night of 24-25 May the SMM heard 19 undetermined explosions 5-7km north-north-west.

On the night of 25-26 May the SMM camera in Avdiivka (17km north-west of Donetsk city) recorded, in total, eight explosions assessed as impacts of rounds of unknown weapons, 31 airbursts, and 15 projectiles in flight (11 from north-west to south-east and four from west to east), all 3-6km east-south-east of the camera. Positioned in Avdiivka the following day, the SMM heard 18 undetermined explosions 3-5km south-east and south.           

On 26 May, over about five hours in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 56 undetermined explosions and small-arms fire 1-7km west-south-west and west.  

In “DPR”-controlled Oleksandrivka (20km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM heard nine undetermined explosions 2-5km north-west.

While in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk) on the night of 25-26 May, the SMM heard two undetermined explosions 5-8km south-west and west, saw five undetermined explosions of rounds of unknown weapon(s) 10-15km south-south-west, saw five explosions assessed as impacts of infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1) cannon (73mm) fire 7-9km west-south-west, and heard 23 outgoing explosions assessed as artillery (122mm) fire 2-4km south-west. It also saw 15 bursts of anti-aircraft cannon (ZU-23, 23mm) fire 7-9km south-south-west and west-south-west.

While in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk) on the same night, the SMM heard 25 undetermined explosions 3-7km north-east, south-east and west, 14 explosions of mortar (82mm) rounds, including two of which were assessed as outgoing, and sporadic heavy-machine-gun fire 2-6km south-east and south-west. The following day, the SMM heard one undetermined explosion and heavy-machine-gun fire 3-6km east and south-east.

On the evening and night of 25-26 May, the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded 20 undetermined explosions, followed by aggregated totals of eight rocket-assisted projectiles in flight (one from east to west, one from south-east to north-west, three from west to east, three from north-west to south-east), at least 210 tracer rounds in flight (at least 48 from east to west, ten from south-east to north-west, and at least 152 from west to east), 30 explosions (28 undetermined, one assessed as an impact of a round of an undetermined weapon, and one assessed as an outgoing round of an undetermined weapon), 13 airbursts, and one illumination flare in vertical flight, all at unknown distances north-east.

On 25 May, while in Mariupol, the SMM heard 25 undetermined explosions at undetermined distances north-east.

Positioned approximately 3km north-north-east of government-controlled Hnutove (20km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM heard eight undetermined explosions, heard and saw one explosion assessed as an impact of an unknown weapon, and heard about 15 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 3-6km east-south-east.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including 66 explosions, compared with 28 in the previous reporting period. Positioned in government-controlled Muratove (51km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 16 explosions assessed as outgoing artillery rounds and five undetermined explosions 3-4km south and south-south-west, as well as 40-60 overlapping bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire 1-2km south.

Positioned in government-controlled Toshkivka (60km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard seven explosions assessed as outgoing rounds and their subsequent impacts, all 5-12km south-south-east.

Positioned in government-controlled Novotoshkivske (53km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard six explosions assessed as outgoing and their subsequent impacts, all 3-5km south-east.

The SMM followed up reports of damage and civilian casualties caused by shelling. In “DPR”-controlled Holmivskyi (49km north-east of Donetsk), Russian officers of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) led the SMM to Paladina Street no. 50, where the SMM observed a fresh crater about 5m north of a house. The SMM assessed that the crater was caused by an 82mm mortar fired from a northerly direction. The SMM saw shrapnel damage on the northern side of the house and a door on the western side of a barn located to the east of the house. A female relative separately told the SMM that the woman living in the house had been injured during the shelling and had asked for help by walking out into the street and requesting an ambulance. The SMM saw journalists and “DPR” members onsite, some of whom were armed.

Following up on reports of civilian casualties from Russian officers of the JCCC, at the Donetsk Institute of Emergency and Reconstructive Surgery, the SMM met a 64-year-old man, who said that he had sustained blast injuries to his right arm and right hip from an explosion near a bus stop in “DPR”-controlled Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city (15km south-west of Donetsk) on 24 May. The SMM was unable to visit the site of the explosion due to a lack of security guarantees provided through the JCCC. The SMM has requested that the JCCC facilitate access to the area since 24 May. The SMM could see the injuries to the man’s arm and hip as his bandages were being changed. A doctor at the hospital told the SMM he had operated on the man and said that the victim suffered shrapnel injuries.

At Kalinina hospital in Donetsk city, medical staff told the SMM that they had admitted a female patient who had been injured during shelling on 24 May. They, however, refused to provide more information or allow the SMM to speak with the woman and told the SMM to request permission from senior “DPR” members.*

The SMM followed up on media reports of a female civilian fatality at the Donetsk morgue; however, it was unable to confirm such reports as the morgue staff said that they did not have record of such a casualty.

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 inside the disengagement area in an “LPR”-controlled area 100m south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge the SMM heard two shots of small-arms fire 100m north-east, assessed as inside the disengagement area. Later positioned outside the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska railway station, the SMM heard five to six shots of small-arms fire 500m south-west, assessed as outside the disengagement area.

Positioned in government-controlled Zolote (60km north-west of Luhansk), outside the disengagement area, the SMM heard 16 undetermined explosions and two shots of IFV (BMP-2) cannon (30mm) fire, all 4-7km from north-easterly directions, and all of which were assessed as outside the disengagement area.

Positioned outside the Petrivske disengagement area in government-controlled Bohdanivka (41km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM heard six shots of small arms-fire at unknown distances south-east and east (unable to assess whether inside or outside the disengagement area).

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

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles[2] in the security zone. An SMM unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted an IFV (BMP-2) and two probable armoured personnel carriers (BRDM-2) about 3-5km south of government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk). About 2km north of Popasna, the SMM observed a flat-bed truck loaded with an IFV (BMP-2) traveling south.

The SMM monitored and facilitated, in co-ordination with the JCCC, repairs to critical infrastructure. From “LPR”-controlled Kalynove-Borshchuvate (61km west of Luhansk) and “LPR”-controlled Kalynove (60km west of Luhansk), the SMM monitored repair works of the high-voltage power lines (pylons 35-40). Ten repair workers were accompanied by an “LPR” demining team.

The SMM visited four border areas not under control of the Government. At the border crossing point in Dovzhanskyi (84km south-east of Luhansk) for about an hour, the SMM observed 21 civilian cars (15 with Ukrainian and six with Russian Federation licence plates), seven covered cargo trucks with Ukrainian licence plates, and one bus marked “Rostov-Stakhanov” with approximately 15 people on board and Ukrainian licence plates, and 12 pedestrians (six men and six women) entered Ukraine. During the same period, the SMM saw 29 civilian cars (ten with Russian Federation licence plates, 17 with Ukrainian licence plates, one with Belarusian licence plates and one “LPR” plates), one bus marked “Krasnyi Luch - Rostov” with approximately 20 people on board and Ukrainian licence plates, and 22 pedestrians (12  men, eight women and two children) exited Ukraine. 

At the pedestrian border crossing point in Verkhnoharasymivka (57km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM observed that it was unstaffed. During its presence for just under an hour, the SMM observed 13 people entering Ukraine and 28 people exiting Ukraine.

During 30 minutes at the border crossing point in Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk), the SMM observed 50 civilian trucks (46 with Ukrainian licence plates, two with Lithuanian and two with Belarusian licence plates, respectively) and 30 passenger cars (16 Ukrainian licence plates, eight Russian licence plates, three Georgian licence plates, and three “DPR” plates) queuing to exit Ukraine. The SMM observed six passenger cars (all Ukrainian licence plates) entering Ukraine.

In over twenty minutes at the border crossing point in Ulianivske (61km south-east of Donetsk), the SMM observed no crossing in either direction.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, 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, unexploded ordnance (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:

• Armed “LPR” members told the SMM that that they could not guarantee the safety of the Mission in the Zolote disengagement area (58km west of Luhansk) due to the possible presence of mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.

• 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 SMM’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.
• The SMM could not travel across the bridge in government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk) as Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel said the road south of the bridge is still mined. The SMM informed the JCCC.

Conditional access:

• Armed “DPR” members stopped the SMM and checked an SMM trailer at the entry-exit checkpoint near “DPR-controlled Olenivka (23km south-west of Luhansk).

Delay:

• On two separate occasions, armed “DPR” members delayed the SMM at an entry-exit checkpoint near “DPR”-controlled Oleksandrivka for eight and 37 minutes, respectively. On both occasions the SMM informed the JCCC and requested its facilitation. The SMM also contacted senior “DPR” members and requested their facilitation. However, Russian officers at the JCCC told the SMM that they could not facilitate the SMM’s freedom of movement and senior “DPR” members told the SMM that the “DPR” members delaying the SMM acted correctly.

Other impediments:

• At Kalinina hospital in Donetsk, the SMM could not confirm a civilian casualty as the medical staff onsite refused to provide information or allow the SMM to speak to the civilian in question and told the SMM to get permission from senior “DPR” members.

 

[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.* Please see the section at the end of this report entitled “Restrictions of SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to fulfilment of its mandate”.

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