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

This report is for the media and the general public.

Between the evenings of 28 and 29 July the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 29 and 30 July, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside and near the Zolote disengagement area. Its access there and elsewhere remained restricted, including for the third consecutive day in Verkhnoshyrokivske.* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in the south-western area of Donetsk city, in Avdiivka and near Miusynsk. The SMM followed up and confirmed reports of civilian casualties in Marinka, Khrustalnyi and Staromykhailivka; in the latter it also observed damage to a house caused by gunfire. The SMM continued to observe the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance. The Mission visited three border areas not under government control.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1] in Donetsk region between the evenings of 28 and 29 July, including about 50 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (60 explosions). Between the evenings of 29 and 30 July, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including about 70 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours.

In the evening hours of 28 July, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard ten explosions assessed as outgoing rounds of infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1) cannon (73mm) fire and about 20 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire 4-5km south-east. On the evening of 29 July, while in Svitlodarsk, the SMM heard 12 explosions assessed as outgoing rounds (ten of IFV (BMP-1) cannon fire and two of artillery fire) and six undetermined explosions, all 1-2km south-south-east.

While in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk) on the evening of 29 July, the SMM heard 17 explosions assessed as outgoing rounds of IFV (BMP-1) cannon fire and 16 bursts (2-3 shots each) of heavy-machine-gun fire 5-6km north-west, as well as three undetermined explosions 10-12km north-west.

On the day of 29 July, positioned in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) for about five hours, the SMM heard 32 undetermined explosions 2-4km at directions ranging from east-south-east to south-south-east. On the same day, positioned at the railway station in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for about five hours, the SMM heard six undetermined explosions and three bursts and ten shots of small-arms fire 3-5km west.

On the day of 30 July, positioned in Avdiivka for about six hours, the SMM heard three undetermined explosions 2-4km north-east and south-east. On the same day, positioned at the railway station in Yasynuvata for about six hours, the SMM heard 22 undetermined explosions at distances ranging from 2-10km at directions ranging from west-south-west to west-north-west, one explosion assessed as an outgoing mortar round 0.5-1km west, and about 80 bursts and 20 shots of small-arms fire 1-3km west-south-west.

On the night of 28-29 July the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, one undetermined explosion, one tracer round in flight from west to east, 102 tracer rounds from east to west, followed by a total of 118 tracer rounds in flight (16 west to east and 102 east to west) and two undetermined explosions, all at undetermined distances north. On the night of 29-30 July, the camera recorded tracer rounds in flight, in sequence, 13 from east to west, four from west to east, 20 from east to west, one from west to east, and 31 from east to west, all at undetermined distances north.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including 11 explosions, between the evenings of 28 and 29 July compared with the previous reporting period (three explosions). It recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including one explosion, between the evenings of 29 and 30 July compared with the previous 24 hours.

On the evening of 28 July, while in government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk) the SMM heard seven undetermined explosions 7-8km south-south-east. The following day the SMM heard one undetermined explosion 5km south.

The SMM followed up and confirmed reports of civilian casualties and damage to a house caused by gunfire. At a hospital in government-controlled Kurakhove (40km west of Donetsk) a medical staff member told the SMM that a 35-year-old man had been admitted in the evening of 27 July with a laceration in his lower left leg, adding that he had received treatment and had been released. The police in Kurakhove told the SMM that the man had been injured by fragments of a broken flower pot after it had been hit by a bullet while he was in his house at 227 Prokofieva Street in government-controlled Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk).

At a hospital in “LPR”-controlled Khrustalnyi (formerly Krasnyi Luch, 56km south-west of Luhansk), a medical staff member told the SMM that doctors had removed a piece of shrapnel from the left thigh of a 15-year-old boy who had been injured while disassembling the charger of a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG-7) that he had found on the street in Khrustalnyi on 22 July.

In “DPR”-controlled Staromykhailivka (15km west of Donetsk), at 9/1 Haharina Street, the SMM saw an elderly woman with bruises and light shrapnel wounds to her neck and chest that she said she had received while working in her garden on 28 July (See SMM Daily Report 29 July 2017).

Also at 7/2 Haharina Street, the SMM observed a hole (80cm wide) in a south-east facing wall of a house, where the wall adjoined with the roof, as well as shrapnel damage to the north-east facing wall. The SMM also observed four men repairing the roof of the house. The SMM assessed the damage as caused by recoilless gun (SPG-9, 73mm) fire from a north-westerly direction. The resident showed the SMM the remnants of a recoilless gun (SPG-9) round, which she said she had found lying outside the house. She added that her house had been damaged during the day on 28 July.

The SMM saw another fresh impact site in a garden about 50m north of 7/2 Haharina Street and a small piece of shrapnel from a recoilless gun (SPG-9) lying on the ground near the impact site.

The SMM continued to monitor the disengagement process and to pursue full access to the disengagement areas near 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 27 July, the SMM camera in government-controlled Zolote recorded four projectiles in flight from north-west to south-east 3km east, assessed as having occurred outside the disengagement area, and one projectile from north to south, assessed as having occurred inside the disengagement area. On the evening of 29 July, the same camera recorded three undetermined explosions: two 4-5km east-north-east and one 5-7km south, all assessed as having occurred outside the disengagement area.

On 30 July, positioned in Zolote, the SMM heard 11 shots of small-arms fire 300-400m south-south-west, unable to assess whether inside or outside the disengagement area.

While in the Stanytsia Luhanska 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 Package of Measures and its Addendum, as well as the Memorandum.

In violation of withdrawal lines, in areas not under government control, an SMM mini unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted on 29 July a 120mm mortar (probably PM-38), facing north-west, in northern Trudivskyi area of Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city. Aerial imagery revealed the presence on 28 July of at least 16 multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) (type unknown) at a possible training area about 5km south-east of Miusynsk (62km south-west of Luhansk).

In violation of withdrawal lines, in government-controlled areas, the SMM saw on 30 July a mortar (82mm) under camouflage canvas at a checkpoint at the western entrance to Avdiivka.

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites, in government-controlled areas, the SMM observed on 29 July two towed howitzers (D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm), heading north in the northern outskirts of government-controlled Verkhnokamianka (84km north-west of Luhansk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites, in areas not under government control, aerial imagery revealed the presence on 28 July of nine self-propelled howitzers, 12 towed howitzers and 18 tanks (type unknown) at a possible training area about 5km south-east of Miusynsk.

The SMM observed weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage does not comply with the criteria set out in the 16 October 2015 notification. In government-controlled areas beyond the respective withdrawal lines the SMM observed 15 mortars (ten 2B11 Sani, 120mm; four M-120 Molot, 120mm; and one BM-37, 82mm) present. The SMM noted that six towed howitzers (D-30) and ten mortars (seven M-120 and three 2B11) continued to be missing and that three mortars (one M-120 and two 2B11) were missing for the first time. The SMM also observed two additional mortars (2B11) present for the first time. At another site the SMM noted that three anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) were again missing.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles[2] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, the SMM observed on 29 July one armoured personnel carrier (APC) (BRDM-2) and one IFV (BMP-1) near Zolote.

In areas not under government control, on 29 July, the SMM observed three sets of fresh tracks assessed as those of tanks or artillery systems running along Artemivska Street in the Donetsk railway station area.

The SMM continued to observe the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). On 29 July, the SMM observed at least three visible stockpiles of 12-15 unfused mines (TM-62M) each on the western side of a road leading from the M-04 road to the water pumping station of the first elevation of Yuzhno-Donbasskii in “DPR”-controlled Vasylivka (20km north of Donetsk). In “DPR”-controlled Novohryhorivka (59km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM saw the tailfin of an MLRS (BM-21 Grad, 122mm) rocket protruding from the ground on the side of the road on Skhidna Street. 

In an “LPR”-controlled part of Zolote 5 (61km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM observed for the first time at least 50 unarmed “LPR” members inside and outside an administrative building, which belongs to a coal mine.

On 28 July the SMM followed up on reports of fire near Novooleksandrivka (65km west of Luhansk). A resident told the SMM that a fire had started in the fields near the village and that as a result some UXO and mines in the affected fields had started to explode. The SMM contacted immediately the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) office in Popasna. Later in the evening a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that the fire brigade did not go to the village due to the danger of explosions of mines/UXO. After midnight on 29 July, a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer told the SMM that the intensity of the fire had decreased. The SMM visited the village the next day. A woman said that residents had tried to extinguish the fire themselves as the fire brigade did not arrive, adding that the fire had later been extinguished by rain.

The SMM monitored the situation at three border areas not under government control. During one hour at the border crossing point in Voznesenivka (former Chervonopartyzansk, 65km south-east of Luhansk) on 29 July, the SMM observed 11 cars (eight with Ukrainian and three with Russian Federation licence plates), one truck with a closed trailer, with Ukrainian licence plates, and six pedestrians (three men and three women) leave Ukraine. The SMM also saw 14 cars (including one with “LPR” plates) and 11 pedestrians (seven women and four men) enter Ukraine.

On 30 July, during 35 minutes at the border crossing point in Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk) the SMM saw 47 cars (19 with Ukrainian and 20 with Russian Federation licence plates and eight with “DPR” plates) and five cargo trucks with closed trailers, with Ukrainian licence plates, in a queue to leave Ukraine. While present the SMM observed three of the five trucks leave Ukraine and six cars enter Ukraine. The SMM also saw a man in the queue of vehicles waiting to leave Ukraine replace “DPR” plates on his car with Russian Federation licence plates.

While at the pedestrian border crossing point in Ulianivske (61km south-east of Donetsk) for 20 minutes on 30 July, the SMM did not observe any movement.

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:

• On 29 and 30 July, for the third consecutive day, armed men prevented the SMM from proceeding east at an entry-exit checkpoint in Verkhnoshyrokivske (formerly Oktiabr, 29km north-east of Mariupol) citing orders from their superiors not to allow the SMM through the checkpoint. The SMM informed the JCCC both times.

Related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• On 29 and 30 July, the possible presence of mines and UXO prevented the SMM from accessing secondary roads south of the Zolote disengagement area. Armed “LPR” members positioned on the southern side of the disengagement area told the SMM that no demining activity had been conducted in the area. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC on both days.
• On 29 July, the possible presence of mines and UXO prevented the SMM from accessing secondary roads north of the Zolote disengagement area. At a checkpoint on the northern edge of the area a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that no de-mining had taken place over the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.
• On both 29 and 30 July, the SMM was prevented from accessing the surrounding areas in the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A Ukrainian officer of the JCCC told the SMM that no demining activities had taken place during the previous 24 hours in the area. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC on both days.
• On both 29 and 30 July, the SMM could not travel across the bridge in government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk) due to the presence of mines. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that mines on the road south of the bridge were still present. The SMM informed the JCCC on both days.

 

[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.