Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 3 August 2017
This report is for the media and the general public.
The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere*, including at Verkhnoshyrokivske, where armed “DPR” members impeded the SMM’s access to areas east of Mariupol for a seventh consecutive day. SMM personnel and civilian contractors installing an SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station were forced to take shelter when small-arms fire erupted nearby, despite written security guarantees provided by the sides. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to infrastructure, including a water pipeline, a pumping station and a power plant in Luhansk region. At a government-controlled checkpoint near Popasna, the SMM observed a mortar explosion 500m from its position; no injuries or damage were reported. The SMM monitored two border areas not under government control.
The SMM recorded an increased number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, including more than 250 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (135 explosions).[1]
On the evening and night of 2-3 August, the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, two rocket-assisted projectiles in flight from west to east, 14 rocket-assisted projectiles in flight from east to west, four rocket-assisted projectiles in flight from west to east, one undetermined explosion, followed by aggregated totals of 24 explosions (17 undetermined and seven impacts of rounds of undetermined weapons), 82 rocket-assisted projectiles in flight (11 west to east, 20 east to west, and fifty-one north to south) and more than 600 tracer rounds in flight (167 from west to east, and 470 from east to west), all at unknown distances north.
While in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk) on the same night, the SMM heard more than 90 explosions (26 assessed as outgoing rounds of mortar (82mm), 31 assessed as outgoing rounds of artillery (122mm), 16 assessed as infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1) cannon (73mm) fire, 10 assessed as recoilless gun (SPG 9, 73mm) fire, and ten of undetermined weapons) and about 80 bursts and 250 shots of IFV (BMP-2) cannon (30mm), heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 5-7km south and south-east.
On the evening and night of 2-3 August, the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, eight explosions (one undetermined and seven assessed as impacts, all of unknown weapon types), at least 61 tracer rounds and one projectile in flight from north to south, 31 tracer rounds from south to north, one illumination flare in vertical flight, two projectiles in flight from east to west, one explosion assessed as an impact, two projectiles in flight from north-west to south-east and one explosion assessed as an impact, all 3-5km east-south-east. On 3 August, the same camera recorded 20 explosions assessed as impacts 3-5km east-south-east.
On 3 August, while on patrol at the south-western edge of government-controlled Avdiivka, the SMM heard 23 undetermined explosions 2-4km south-east.
Positioned in the western part of “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for about seven hours, the SMM heard 41 undetermined explosions, about 50 bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, as well as one minute of uncountable overlapping bursts and shots of small-arms fire, all 1-5km at directions ranging from south-west to west-north-west.
In “DPR”-controlled Sofiivka (40km north-east of Donetsk), in about 20 minutes, the SMM heard 15 undetermined explosions 4km west.
An SMM patrol consisting of ten members, including four workers contracted by the SMM, was positioned at the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS), located about 15km north of Donetsk city between Avdiivka and Yasynuvata. The SMM was monitoring the works for the installation of an SMM camera on the roof of the DFS office building. At 14:44 SMM members positioned about 40m north-east of the office building heard bursts of small-arms fire about 1km south-south-west and immediately took cover inside their armoured vehicles. At the same time, SMM members and contractors on the roof heard the hissing sound of bullets flying overhead and took cover inside the building. The JCCC had facilitated written security guarantees for a ceasefire within a 15km radius in order for the SMM to install the camera. At 15:30, the firing stopped and at 15:35 the SMM left the area and returned safely to its base in Donetsk. The work was not completed. (See SMM Spot Report 4 August 2017.)
In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including over 250 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (148 explosions).
On the evening and night of 2-3 August, while in government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard over 200 undetermined explosions assessed as artillery and mortar rounds (type undetermined) and at least 350 bursts of heavy-machine-gun, anti‑aircraft cannon (ZU-23) and small-arms fire, all about 4km east.
At a checkpoint east of Popasna, Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel told the SMM that there was ongoing fighting east of their position. While at the checkpoint the SMM heard approximately 15 bursts of small-arms, heavy-machine-gun, and IFV (BMP-2) fire 5km east, despite the fact that security guarantees had been provided by the sides. Approximately 30 minutes later, the SMM heard the whistling sound of a mortar shell flying and, some three seconds thereafter, heard an explosion approximately 500m south-east of its position and saw a column of smoke rising in the same direction and distance. The SMM assessed the explosion was caused by an 82mm mortar round and immediately retreated towards a safer position. After 30 minutes, the SMM left the area without further incident.
Over a period of 20 minutes on 3 August, positioned in government-controlled Muratove (51km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 25 explosions assessed as impacts and saw their subsequent smoke rising 6-7km south‑south-west.
Positioned 2km west of government-controlled Kriakivka (38km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard three shots of small-arms fire, about 500m east of its position. The patrol immediately left the area.
The SMM followed up on media reports of a civilian casualty in Novooleksandrivka (65km west of Luhansk). A resident of the village (male, 74 years old) told the SMM that while he was walking in eastern Novooleksandrivka at about 09:25 on 3 August, he saw a flash and a nearby fence catch fire. He said that he had been wounded on his upper left arm and torso, which the SMM saw was bandaged-either from a ricochet or fragmentation. He added that his wounds had been cleaned and bandaged at a Ukrainian Armed Forces position approximately 200m away. The SMM could not access the area where the incident occurred due to security restrictions.
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 1 August, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded, in sequence, four undetermined explosions 5-7km south-south-west, one projectile in flight from north-west to south-east 2-3km south-south-west, and one undetermined explosion 11-13km south-south-west. All ceasefire violations were assessed as 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.
In violation of withdrawal lines, in a non-government-controlled area, on 2 August aerial imagery again revealed the presence of two multiple rocket launcher systems (MLRS; BM-21 Grad, 122mm) in Kalmiuske (formerly Komsomolske, 42km south-east of Donetsk). (See SMM Daily Report 26 July 2017.)
The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) [2] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw an armoured personnel carrier (APC; BTR-4) moving west near Umanske (25 km north-west of Donetsk), a UAV flying 300-400m overhead from north to south in Svitlodarsk, and two APCs (BTR-4 and BRDM) and an automatic grenade launcher, all stationary in Makarove (19km north-east of Luhansk). On 2 August, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted four stationary APCs (one BMP-2 and three BMP-variants) near Popasna.
In government-controlled Sopyne (16km east of Mariupol) the SMM observed military personnel using an excavator to dig an approximately 2m-wide trench at the eastern edge of the village, 250m from the nearest house. Two residents (a woman aged 40 and a man aged 65) told the SMM that Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel were continuing to build positions within the village. Two Ukrainian Armed Forces engineers operating the excavator told the SMM that, after discussing with residents, they had decided to move their positions 500m east of the location they had been excavating the previous day.
The SMM facilitated repairs to essential infrastructure, co-ordinated by the JCCC and monitored them from both sides of the contact line. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor maintenance works at the power plant in government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk). (See SMM Daily Report 3 August 2017.) The SMM also continued to facilitate and monitor maintenance works at a water pumping station in government-controlled Artema (26km north of Luhansk). (See SMM Daily Report 3 August 2017.) The SMM also facilitated and monitored repairs to the 350mm Zolote-Popasna water pipeline.
The SMM visited two border areas not under control of the Government. At the border crossing point near Marynivka (78km east-south-east of Donetsk), the SMM observed 24 cars queuing to exit Ukraine (15 with Ukrainian license plates, three with “DPR” plates, and six with Russian Federation licence plates) as well as two cars and one bus with Ukrainian license plates enter Ukraine, over the course of about 25 minutes.
At the pedestrian border crossing point near Verkhnoharasymivka (57km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM observed ten pedestrians enter Ukraine and two pedestrians exiting Ukraine. The SMM observed 13 cars (11 with Ukrainian license plates and two with Russian Federation licence plates) parked in the adjacent area.
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. 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:
- Two armed “DPR” members wearing military-style attire with no insignia or patches prevented an SMM patrol from proceeding east from an entry-exit checkpoint in Verkhnoshyrokivske (formerly Oktiabr, 29km north-east of Mariupol), for the seventh consecutive day. The “DPR” members said that they had received orders from their superiors not to allow the SMM to cross the checkpoint. The SMM informed the JCCC.
- Three armed “DPR” members wearing military-style attire with patches reading “DPR” at the checkpoint at the eastern entrance to Novolaspa (50km south of Donetsk) told the SMM that it could only patrol the southern part of the village, which the Mission subsequently did. The SMM informed the JCCC.
Related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:
- 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.
- 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.
- The SMM was prevented from accessing all areas of the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, with the exception of the main road, 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.
- 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.
Delayed access:
- An armed “DPR” member wearing military-style trousers and a black t-shirt with “OMON” written on it stopped the SMM at an entry-exit checkpoint in Olenivka (23km south-west of Donetsk) and asked for passports and vehicle registration documents. He told the SMM that he needed clearance from his “superior” to let the SMM proceed. After 25 minutes the SMM was allowed to continue, but the “DPR” member stated that, in future, the SMM would not be allowed to cross the checkpoint without providing the above-mentioned documents. The SMM informed the JCCC.
* 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.