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

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours, following the recommitment to the ceasefire. In government-controlled Arkhanhelske, the Mission heard small-arms fire assessed as targeting its unmanned aerial vehicle.* The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including in government-controlled Trokhizbenka and at a weapons permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region.* The Mission observed self-propelled howitzers in government-controlled Oleksandropil in violation of withdrawal lines. The SMM observed, for the first time, the presence of 25 anti-tank mines about 600m north-west of the entry-exit checkpoint near Marinka. The Mission continued to facilitate and monitor repairs and maintenance to the power plant in Shchastia. The SMM visited one border area not under government control in Luhansk region. The Mission followed up on reports of explosions in Kyiv. It also monitored a gathering in Odessa.

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], including 70 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours (about 140 explosions). About 70 per cent of these violations were recorded between 00:00 and 19:30 on 25 August, mostly in the area between government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) and “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk).

Between 19:30 and 00:00 on 24 August, the SMM camera in Avdiivka recorded, in sequence, three undetermined explosions, seven projectiles and five tracer rounds in flight from west to east, one explosion assessed as an impact, followed by aggregated totals of two explosions assessed as impacts, 70 tracer rounds in flight (59 from north-west to south-east, nine from west to east and two from south-west to north-east) and eight projectiles in flight (five from north-west to south-east and three from west to east), all 3-6km east-south-east. In the early hours of 25 August, the camera recorded six tracer rounds and 14 projectiles in flight from north-west to south-east, all 4-5km east-south-east. During the day on 25 August, the same camera recorded seven explosions (one undetermined and six assessed as impacts) 4-5km east-south-east. Positioned in Avdiivka for about five and a half hours, the SMM heard seven undetermined explosions 3-7km at directions ranging from east to south-east.

On the evening of 24 August, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) recorded three tracer rounds in flight from east to west, 2-3km south. During the day on 25 August, the camera recorded three undetermined explosions, 1-3km south.

Between 19:30 and 00:00 on 24 August, the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, 11 tracer rounds in flight from east to west, one tracer round in flight from west to east, two tracer rounds in flight from east to west, two tracer rounds in flight from west to east, two tracer rounds in flight from south to north, one tracer round in flight from west to east, 12 tracer rounds in flight from east to west, two tracer rounds in flight from south to north and six tracer rounds in flight from east to west, all at unknown distances north. In the early hours of 25 August, the camera recorded, in sequence, four tracer rounds in flight from east to west, three rocket-assisted projectiles in flight from west to east and two rocket-assisted projectiles in flight from east to west, all at unknown distances north.

On 25 August, positioned at the railway station in Yasynuvata for about six hours, the SMM heard 36 undetermined explosions, about 220 bursts and shots of automatic-grenade-launcher, heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, as well as four minutes of uncountable overlapping bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 1-8km at directions ranging from west-south-west to north-west. The SMM also heard one undetermined explosion 0.5-1km west.

The same day, positioned about 6km east of government-controlled Arkhanhelske (32km north of Donetsk), within the span of a minute the SMM heard six explosions assessed as artillery rounds (type unknown) 3-5km west. Positioned about 2km south-east of government-controlled Lebedynske (16km north-east of Mariupol), during about 30 minutes the SMM heard two undetermined explosions at unknown distances east.

On 25 August at about 11:00, while flying a mini unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on the north-eastern edge of Arkhanhelske, the SMM heard about ten shots of small-arms fire about 100m west, assessed as targeting the UAV. The SMM landed and recovered the UAV, which did not appear to be damaged. The Mission had informed the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) in advance about the flight.*

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations (one explosion and three shots), compared with the previous 24 hours (about 70 explosions).

On 25 August, positioned in the southern outskirts of government-controlled Muratove (51km north-west of Luhansk), during about ten minutes the SMM heard one undetermined explosion about 5km south and one shot of small-arms fire about 1km south-east. The same day, positioned in Novooleksandrivka (65km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard two shots of small-arms fire about 200m west-south-west.

The SMM followed up on a report of a civilian casualty in “DPR”-controlled Snizhne (72km east of Donetsk). On 25 August, the SMM visited Hospital no. 2 in that town, following up on information it received from a “DPR” member that a 15-year-old boy had been injured by the explosion of a device on 15 August. Medical staff at the hospital told the SMM that the boy had been admitted at around 15:10 on 15 August with minor shrapnel wounds to both lower legs and one finger of his right hand; and that the injuries were sustained as a result of an explosion that had occurred when the boy had been handling an explosive device at his residence (12 Shepkina Street) earlier that day. They also said that the boy had been released from the hospital at the request of his mother. Medical staff said the mother had told them that she would take him to the Russian Federation, where she lived, for further treatment. The SMM then visited the house at the abovementioned address where three residents (two men in their forties and one woman in her sixties) separately told the Mission that they had heard about the boy’s injury.

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 these areas.*

On 25 August, positioned at the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote, the SMM observed a calm situation.

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

On 24 August, in government-controlled areas and in violation of withdrawal lines, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted seven self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) under netting in Oleksandropil (43km north of Donetsk).

On 24 August, beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites in government-controlled areas, an SMM mini-UAV spotted nine towed howitzers (D-20, 152mm) in Novoolenivka (48km north-west of Donetsk).

The SMM observed weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage did not comply with the criteria set out in the 16 October 2015 notification. On 25 August, in “DPR”‑controlled areas beyond the respective withdrawal lines, the SMM again observed six self-propelled howitzers (2S1). In the same areas, the SMM observed that 12 mortars (11 PM-38, 120mm, and one 2B11 Sani, 120mm) continued to be absent. The Mission was denied access to one permanent storage site.* In government-controlled areas the Mission observed that 18 anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) were absent, six of which were missing for the first time.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles[2] in the security zone. On 25 August, in non-government-controlled areas, the SMM saw three armoured personnel carriers (APC) (BTR-variant) near Slovianoserbsk (28km north-west of Luhansk); and on 23 August, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted six APCs (five MT-LB and one BRDM-2) near Lobacheve (17km north-west of Luhansk).

On 25 August, the SMM, for the first time, saw 25 anti-tank mines in a field about 2.5m north of road H15 about 600m west-north-west of the Ukrainian Armed Forces entry-exit checkpoint near government-controlled Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk).

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor ongoing repairs and maintenance, co‑ordinated by the JCCC, to the thermal power plant in government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk).

The SMM visited one border area not under government control. On 25 August, during about one hour at a border crossing point near Novoborovytsi (79km south of Luhansk), the SMM saw two pedestrians (a man in his fifties and a woman in her forties) enter Ukraine, and a car pick up two women (about 35 and 50 years old) and one girl (about ten years old) at the border crossing point, after which it drove towards Novoborovytsi.

On 25 August, the SMM followed up on reports of explosions in Kyiv. Continuing to follow up on an explosion that had occurred on 24 August (see SMM Daily Report 25 August 2017), about 150m north-west of the junction of Hrushevskoho Street and Muzeinyi Lane, the Mission saw shrapnel damage to a 1.5m-high stone wall between the hillside and the pedestrian path. The media reported that two people (a man and a woman) were injured by the explosion. The head of the national police stated to the media that an investigation had been launched under Article 15 (criminal attempt) and Article 115 (murder).

The SMM also followed up on information that, on the morning of 24 August, a monument dedicated to ATO veterans in Kyiv had been damaged with white paint and that an explosive device had been thrown towards the monument. On 25 August, the Mission visited the site at the intersection of Lesia Kurbasa Avenue and Academic Koroliov Street and saw a crater about 5m away from the monument, assessed as caused by a hand grenade (RGD). It also saw a broken icon lamp lying on the ground at the foot of the monument, minor scratches on the stone plate of the monument and shrapnel damage to a nearby tree. A non-governmental-organization member at the site was cleaning the pavement around the monument; the Mission did not see white paint on the monument.

In Odessa, the SMM monitored a gathering in a park at the junction of Admiralskyi and Fontaska Streets. The SMM saw about 200 people (mostly men, aged 20-55), some of whom carried flags of Sokil, the youth organization of Svoboda party. Among the participants, the SMM also recognized members of Right Sector, Young Right, Street Front, Svoboda and National Corps. Representatives of each group delivered a speech, expressing opposition to the construction of buildings in the abovementioned park with messages such as “Parks for people, future for children”. The SMM saw about 100 police and 30 National Guard officers at the site. About 60 participants, for about five minutes, blocked Fontaska Street setting off flares; the police did not intervene. The gathering lasted about one hour and ended without incident.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Lviv, Dnipro and Chernivtsi.            

*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.

Denial of access:

• While flying a mini-UAV near Arkhanhelske, the SMM heard shots of small-arms fire, assessed as targeting the UAV. The Mission landed the UAV and informed the JCCC. (See above.)
• The SMM could not access a “DPR” permanent weapons storage site as its gate was locked and no guards were present to open it. The SMM informed the JCCC.
• At a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint 1.5km south of government-controlled Trokhizbenka (32km north-west of Luhansk), Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel denied the SMM access to walk on the broken bridge. They stated that there had been shooting in the area on 23 August and that they could not guarantee SMM’s safety in the area. The SMM did not proceed and informed the JCCC.

Related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• The SMM was prevented from accessing secondary roads south of the Zolote disengagement area due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. An armed “LPR” member positioned on the southern side of the Zolote disengagement area told the SMM that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. 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 demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM informed the JCCC.
• The SMM was prevented from accessing parts of the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, with the exception of the main road, due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.
• The SMM could not travel across the bridge in Shchastia due to the presence of mines. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC said 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. During this reporting period the SMM camera at the Oktiabr mine (Donetsk) remained non-operational.

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