Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 25 July 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission observed fresh impact sites in Novotroitske. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations in the Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in the three areas and elsewhere, including in Horlivka.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Kalmiuske. It facilitated ongoing repairs to a water pumping station in Artema. The Mission monitored the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints in Horlivka, where it saw long queues, and in Pyshchevyk. The SMM visited a border area not under government control in Luhansk region. In Kherson region the Mission noted a calm situation near Chaplynka and Kalanchak.  

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], including fewer explosions (about 40), compared with the previous 24 hours (about 60 explosions).

On the night of 24-25 July, the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, three explosions assessed as impacts, one airburst, three projectiles in flight from north-west to south-east, 15 projectiles in flight from north to south, four explosions assessed as impacts, three illumination flares in vertical flight, followed by aggregated totals of 47 projectiles in flight (14 from north to south, two from south to north, 11 from west to east, six from south-west to north-east, 13 from north-west to south-east and one from south-east to north-west), 28 tracer rounds in flight (17 from south to north, six from north to south and five in vertical flight) and one undetermined explosion, all 3-5km at easterly directions. The following day, positioned in Avdiivka, the SMM heard four undetermined explosions 2-5km south-east.

On the evening and night of 24-25 July, the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, one undetermined explosion, 26 tracer rounds in flight from east to west, 17 tracer rounds in flight from west to east, 25 tracer rounds in flight from east to west, 16 tracer rounds in flight from west to east, followed by aggregated totals of 207 tracer rounds in flight (108 from east to west and 99 from west to east) and eight undetermined explosions, all at unknown distances north.

On the evening of 24 July, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), in about three hours the SMM heard 26 explosions assessed as outgoing rounds of infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1) cannon (73mm) and about 160 bursts and shots of IFV (BMP-2) cannon (30mm), anti-aircraft cannon (ZU-23, 23mm), heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 3-4km south and south east.

On 25 July, positioned at the “DPR”-controlled Donetsk central railway station (6km north-west of Donetsk city centre), in about one hour, the SMM heard seven undetermined explosions, 2-5km north and north-west.

On 25 July, positioned at the railway station in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata, (16km north-east of Donetsk), in about one hour, the SMM heard one undetermined explosion 3-4km north-west, two undetermined explosions and four bursts and shots of small-arms fire 5km south-west. Positioned about 1km west of the station, in “DPR”-controlled Kashtanove (13km north of Donetsk), in about half an hour, the SMM heard uncountable and overlapping bursts and shots of small-arms fire 2-3km west.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including about 150 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours (about 60 explosions).

On the evening and night of 24-25 July, positioned in Popasna, the SMM heard about 120 explosions (50 assessed as mortar and artillery rounds, including eight assessed as outgoing, and 70 undetermined), about 860 shots and bursts of small-arms, heavy-machine-gun and IFV (BMP-2) cannon fire, all 3-8km north and north-east, and 25 undetermined explosions and about 500 shots and bursts of small-arms and heavy-machine-gun fire 2-5km south-east.

The SMM continued to follow up on reports of damage due to firing near residential areas. On 25 July, the SMM, accompanied by a Ukrainian officer of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), observed three fresh impact sites in the gardens of houses in government-controlled Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk) and assessed that all three were caused by recoilless-gun (SPG-9, 73mm) fire from an east-north-easterly direction. The first crater was 25m south of a house at Pervomaiska Street 13, the second, at Pervomaiska Street 7, was about 45m west of the first impact, and the third crater was at Haharina Street 1, a further 120m to the west. The SMM did not see any structural damage to nearby 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.*

On the evening of 23 July, the SMM camera in government-controlled Zolote recorded two projectiles in flight from south-west to north-east 3-5km south, assessed as inside or over the disengagement area, and two projectiles in flight from north to south 3-5km north-east, assessed as outside the disengagement area.

On 25 July, while in the disengagement areas near Zolote, Stanytsia Luhanska and government-controlled Bohdanivka (41km south-west of Donetsk), north-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.

In violation of withdrawal lines, in a non-government-controlled area, on 23 July aerial imagery revealed the presence of two multiple launch rocket systems (BM-21 Grad, 122mm) in Kalmiuske (formerly Komsomolske, 42km south-east of Donetsk), in a zone within which deployment of heavy armaments and military equipment is proscribed according to Point 5 of the Memorandum of 19 September 2014.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles[2] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, on 24 July the SMM saw: an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (BTR-60) near the eastern outskirts of Zolote-2 (60km west of Luhansk); eight stationary IFVs (six BMP-1 and two BMP-2) in Popasna; and an IFV (BTR-4) and an APC (BRDM-2) stationary in Makarove (19km north-east of Luhansk).

On 20 July, an SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted an APC (BRDM-2) and an IFV (BMP-variant) east of Shyrokyne and an APC (BTR-70) west of Shyrokyne.

In non-government-controlled areas, on 23 July an SMM mid-range UAV spotted an IFV (BMP-variant) near Petrivske. Aerial imagery revealed the presence on 23 July of 12 armoured combat vehicles (ACV) and over 50 military-type trucks near Kalmiuske, and two ACVs near Boikivske (formerly Telmanove, 67km south-east of Donetsk).

On 20 July an SMM mid-range UAV spotted 19 anti-tank mines (TM-62) laid across road M-14/E-58 east of Shyrokyne, the same location where the SMM had previously seen 21 anti-tank mines (TM-62).

On 25 July the SMM facilitated and monitored ongoing repairs and maintenance, co-ordinated by the JCCC, to a water pumping station in government-controlled Artema (26km north of Luhansk) and saw a five-person demining team clearing the site and eight workers cleaning the water pumps and cutting branches that were blocking the power lines of the pumping station.

The SMM continued to monitor the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints. On 25 July, at a “DPR” entry-exit checkpoint 7km north of Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk), during five minutes, the SMM saw about 250 pedestrians, 94 cars and 12 passenger buses in a queue waiting to cross towards government-controlled areas. The SMM spoke with three people in a group (two men and one woman, aged between 40 and 60) who said that they had been waiting at the checkpoint for eight hours and with another group of about ten people (men and women of mixed ages) who also said that they had been waiting for eight hours and complained that there was nowhere nearby to buy water. At the entry-exit checkpoint in government-controlled Pyshchevyk (25km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM noted that the traffic was generally flowing, with no long queues.

The SMM visited a border area not under government control. At the border crossing point near Izvaryne (52km south-east of Luhansk), in about one hour, the SMM saw 56 cars (48 with Ukrainian and eight with Russian Federation licence plates), two covered cargo trucks (with Ukrainian licence plates), four passenger buses (all with Ukrainian licence plates marked in Russian language “Kyiv-Moscow”, “Pervomaisk-Moscow”, “Stakhanov-Kharkiv” and one unknown sign) and about 150 pedestrians (men, women and children of different ages) in a queue to exit Ukraine. The SMM spoke with a man and a woman (both in their forties) who said that they had been queueing for about five hours. The SMM saw three covered cargo trucks (two with Ukrainian and one with Russian Federation licence plates), three passenger buses (one marked “St. Petersburg-Pervomaisk” with Russian Federation licence plates, one without a sign with Ukrainian licence plates, and one marked “Moscow-Pervomaisk” with “LPR” plates), 18 cars (nine with Russian Federation and eight with Ukrainian licence plates, and one with “LPR” plates) and about 40 pedestrians (25 women and 15 men, different ages) enter Ukraine.

The SMM monitored the administrative boundary line between Kherson region and Crimea. On 23 and 24 July, the SMM visited crossing points near Chaplynka (77km south-east of Kherson) and Kalanchak (67km south-east of Kherson) and noted a calm situation.

The SMM continued monitoring in 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. 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:

• At an entry-exit checkpoint 7km north of Horlivka, members of an SMM patrol were speaking with pedestrians when they were interrupted by three armed men who introduced themselves as “DPR” members. They said that while the SMM was allowed to pass through the checkpoint, it was not allowed to park its vehicles or speak to anyone within 100m of the checkpoint and requested that the SMM move away immediately.

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.
• 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.
• Armed “LPR” members positioned on the southern side of the Zolote disengagement area told the SMM 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.
• The SMM could not travel across the bridge in government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk) as Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel said that there were mines on the road south of the bridge. The SMM informed the JCCC.

[1] Please see the annexed table for a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations as well as a 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.