Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 5 July 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, although more explosions, in Donetsk region, and a similar number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region as in the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Zolote-5. It continued monitoring the disengagement areas and observed a calm situation. The SMM’s access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including again to Novoazovsk – an area close to the border.* It observed removal of unexploded ordnance (UXO) south of Stanytsia Luhanska and the presence of other UXO on a road east of Staromarivka. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Mykhailivka-Almazna high-voltage power lines near Pervomaisk.

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], although more explosions (about 170), including from multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), compared with the previous reporting period (124 explosions). Almost all explosions were recorded in the Donetsk airport-Avdiivka-Yasynuvata area and in areas north of Horlivka.

Positioned at the “DPR”-controlled Donetsk central railway station (6km north-west of Donetsk city centre) for about two hours on 5 July, the SMM heard one undetermined explosion at an undetermined distance north, 18 explosions assessed as outgoing MLRS fire 1-5km west, and heard and saw 17 subsequent impacts 3-5km west-north-west. Positioned 7km south-west of Donetsk city centre the SMM heard, within five minutes, 19 undetermined explosions 5-10km north-west.

On the evening and night of 4-5 July the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, one projectile in flight from north to south, four tracer rounds in flight from west to east and two undetermined explosions, all 3-7km east-south-east. During the day on 5 July, the camera recorded five explosions assessed as impacts 3-5km east-south-east. The same day, positioned in Avdiivka for over five hours, the SMM heard 16 undetermined explosions 2-5km east-south-east, south-east and south.

On 5 July, positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for about six hours the SMM heard 14 undetermined explosions and over 150 bursts and shots of small-arms fire at distances ranging 1-5km west, south-west and north-west, and eight undetermined explosions 7-9km west.

On the evening of 4 July, while in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard, within half an hour, 83 undetermined explosions 4-6km north and about 40 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire 2-3km north and north-west.

On the night of 4-5 July the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, two tracer rounds in flight from east to west, one undetermined explosion, 12 tracer rounds from east to west, five from west to east, followed by a total of 148 tracer rounds in flight (121 east to west and 27 west to east), all at undetermined distances north.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations, including 13 explosions, as in the previous reporting period (15 explosions). On the evening of 4 July, while in government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard, within five minutes, 12 undetermined explosions 8-10km east-south-east.

The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian casualty from an “LPR”-controlled part of Zolote-5 (61km north-west of Luhansk). At a hospital in “LPR”-controlled Pervomaisk (58km west of Luhansk), medical staff told the SMM that a woman from Zolote-5 had been admitted to the hospital on 4 July with wounds to her leg, but were not in a position to provide further information. In Zolote-5 six residents (two men and four women) separately told the SMM that the woman was attempting to cross the contact line to visit her son in government-controlled areas when she had stumbled upon a trip wire.

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.*

The SMM camera in government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska recorded in the evening of 4 July one explosion assessed as a probable 82mm mortar round 4-5km south-east, assessed as having occurred outside the disengagement area.

While present in Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote, and government-controlled Bohdanivka (41km south-west of Donetsk), west of the Petrivske disengagement area, the SMM observed a calm situation. The SMM remained unable to access its camera in “DPR”-controlled Petrivske due to security considerations.

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

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites, in government-controlled areas, the SMM saw two tanks (T-72) loaded on trucks heading north near Kasianivka (22km north of Mariupol) and a tank (T-72) on a flatbed trailer on road H-20 heading north near Hranitne (78km south-west of Donetsk).

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles and an anti-aircraft gun[2] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas the SMM saw an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (MT-LB) labelled “ambulance” near Nyzhnie (56km north-west of Luhansk) on 4 July. On 5 July the SMM saw an APC (BTR-60) heading north-east near Kapitanove (49km north-west of Luhansk), three infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) (BMP-2), one loaded on a flatbed trailer, near Bobrove (56km north-west of Luhansk), and one APC (BTR-60) near Muratove (51km north-west of Luhansk).

In areas not under government control, the SMM saw an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23-2, 23mm) towed by a military-type truck about 2km north of Donetsk city. An SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted, on 1 July, a probable IFV (BMP variant) near Lukove (72km south of Donetsk).

“LPR” members recovered and handed over to the SMM a mini-UAV with which the SMM had lost contact south of “LPR”-controlled Slovianoserbsk (28km north-west of Luhansk) on 3 July. (See SMM Daily Report 4 July 2017).

The SMM observed some demining activity as well as the presence of UXO in the security zone. On 4 July, the SMM observed an “LPR” member remove an 82mm mortar round tailfin from a road in an “LPR”-controlled area south of the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. (See SMM Daily Report 25 May 2017.)

The SMM saw, for the first time, unused ammunition - two 82mm mortar rounds and a recoilless gun (SPG-9, 73mm) round – placed in the middle of the road at a “DPR” checkpoint 2km east of government-controlled Staromarivka (62km south of Donetsk) marked with a mine hazard sign. About 20m south of the checkpoint, the SMM saw the tailfin of an unexploded 120mm mortar round sticking out of the asphalt.

The SMM facilitated and monitored ongoing repairs, co-ordinated by the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), to the high-voltage Mykhailivka-Almazna power line near Pervomaisk.

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, 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. 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, including at the disengagement area near Petrivske.

Denial of access:

• Armed men again denied the SMM passage through a checkpoint on road E-58 north of “DPR”-controlled Novoazovsk (40km east of Mariupol) towards the town – an area close to the border with the Russian Federation - citing orders from supervisors. (See SMM Daily Report 3 July 2017). The SMM informed the JCCC.

Related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• 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.
• Armed “LPR” members positioned on the southern side of the Zolote disengagement area (3km north of Pervomaisk) told the SMM that that they could not guarantee the safety of the Mission on side roads due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.
• At a checkpoint on the northern edge of the Zolote disengagement area a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that no de-mining had taken place over the previous 24 hours and that, due to the possible presence of mines and/or UXO, they could not guarantee the SMM’s safety. 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 there were mines on the road south of the bridge. The SMM informed the JCCC.

Other impediments:

• In government-controlled Rubizhne (84km north-west of Luhansk), two police officers approached the SMM and asked about the nationality of the patrol members and to take photographs of their OSCE identification badges. The SMM patrol members showed their badges but did not allow photographs to be taken or state their nationality. The police officers attempted to guess the nationality of one of the patrol members and made an offensive remark, suggesting that he was an agent of a foreign security service.

[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.