Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 22 January 2018

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 continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including near a compound in Donetsk city’s Leninskyi district.* The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance of essential infrastructure near Artema and in Krasnyi Lyman. It visited three border areas outside of government control. 

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], including, however, more explosions (about 280), compared with the previous 24 hours (about 195 explosions).

On the evening and night of 21-22 January, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard ten undetermined explosions and about 20 bursts and shots of small-arms and heavy-machine-gun fire, all 3-5km east. During the day on 22 January, while at the same location, the SMM heard about 150 undetermined explosions and about 50 bursts and shots of small-arms and heavy-machine-gun fire, all 3-7km east.

During the day on 22 January, positioned 1.5km north-east of Svitlodarsk for about one hour, the SMM heard two explosions assessed as outgoing mortar (82mm) rounds, 50 undetermined explosions and about 30 bursts and shots of small-arms, automatic grenade launcher, infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-2) cannon (30mm) and heavy-machine-gun fire, all 3-6km south.

On the evening and night of 21-22 January, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, a projectile in flight from west to east, seven projectiles from east to west and five undetermined explosions, followed by a total of 13 undetermined explosions and 68 projectiles (14 from east to west and 54 from west to east), all 0.5-1km south. During the day on 22 January, the camera recorded two projectiles in flight from west to east, two projectiles from east to west, and an undetermined explosion, all 0.5-1km south.

During the evening and night of 21-22 January, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in government-controlled Maiorsk (45km north-east of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, a projectile in flight from south to north, two undetermined explosions, 34 projectiles from south to north and an undetermined explosion, followed by a total of three undetermined explosions and 25 projectiles from south to north, all 2-4km south-east. 

During the evening and night of 21-22 January, the SMM camera 1km south-west of Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, 12 projectiles in flight from east to west, two illumination flares in vertical flight and one projectile from west to east, followed by a total of 14 projectiles (12 in flight from east to west and two from west to east) and an undetermined explosion, all 5-8km north.

During the day on 22 January, positioned at the railway station in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for about two hours, the SMM heard two undetermined explosions and about 60 bursts and shots of small-arms fire 2km north and north west.

Positioned in “DPR”-controlled Naberezhne (33km north-east of Mariupol) for about half an hour, the SMM heard 18 undetermined explosions as well as uncountable and overlapping bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire at an undetermined distance south-south-east.

Positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yenakiieve (41km north-east of Donetsk) for about ten minutes, the SMM heard 15 undetermined explosions 8-12km north-east. 

Positioned at the entry-exit checkpoint in government-controlled Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM heard about ten undetermined explosions, 16 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire and saw three illumination flares in vertical flight, all 2-4km east-north-east.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including about 230 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours (about 29 explosions).

During the day on 22 January, positioned on the south-western edge of “LPR”-controlled Kalynove (60km west of Luhansk) the SMM heard 115 undetermined explosions 5-10km south-west. On the same day, positioned 3km east of Kalynove, the SMM heard about 20 undetermined explosions 4-15km south-south-west.

Positioned in “LPR”-controlled Kalynove-Borshchuvate (61km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard about 20 undetermined explosions and six bursts of IFV (BMP-2) cannon fire 15-20km south-south-west.

Positioned 4km west of government-controlled Komyshuvakha (68km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 15 explosions of artillery rounds 8-10km south-west.

Positioned on the eastern edge of government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 12 undetermined explosions 8-10km west-south-west.

Positioned on the northern edge of “LPR”-controlled Almazna (55km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard about 20 undetermined explosions 10-15km south-south-west and an undetermined explosion 3-4km north.

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.*

During the day on 22 January, positioned in government-controlled Zolote-4/Rodina (60km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard about 20 undetermined explosions 10-12km south assessed as outside the Zolote disengagement area.

On 22 January, positioned near the Petrivske and Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas, the SMM observed calm situations.

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

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites, in a government-controlled area, the SMM saw 11 stationary multiple launch rocket systems (BM-21 Grad, 122mm) near Sloviansk (95km north of Donetsk).

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles, anti-aircraft weapons[2] and other indications of military-type presence in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, the SMM cameras recorded on 20 January two IFVs near the entry-exit checkpoint in Maiorsk and an armoured personnel carrier (BTR-80) near Stanytsia Luhanska. On 21 January, the SMM saw six IFVs (BMP-1) and a reconnaissance vehicle (BRM-1K) in Popasna.  On 22 January, it saw five IFVs (BMP-1) in Popasna and a reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM) in Orikhove-Donetske (44km north-west of Luhansk). It also saw an IFV (BTR-4) in Makarove (19km north-east of Luhansk), an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) mounted on a truck in Orikhove (57km north-west of Luhansk), an IFV (BMP-2) near a checkpoint on the northern edge of the Zolote disengagement area and an IFV (BTR-variant) near Chermalyk (77km south of Donetsk). An SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle spotted on 20 January a newly dug trench and multiple trench networks approximately 4km south-south-east of Svitlodarsk.

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs and maintenance works to the Petrivske water pumping station near government-controlled Artema (26km north of Luhansk) and to water wells in “LPR”-controlled Krasnyi Lyman (30km north-west of Luhansk).

The SMM visited three border areas not under government control. During about half an hour at a border crossing point near Marynivka (78km east of Donetsk), the SMM saw eight cars (three with Ukrainian and two with Russian Federation licence places, and three with “DPR” plates) in a queue to exit Ukraine. The SMM saw a curtain-sided heavy goods truck with Ukrainian licence plates exiting Ukraine. It also saw a car with “DPR” plates and a bus with Ukrainian licence plates entering Ukraine.

During about half an hour at a border crossing point in Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk), the SMM saw two curtain-sided heavy goods trucks with Ukrainian licence plates and a minivan with Russian Federation licence plates exiting Ukraine.

During about one hour at a border crossing point near Voznesenivka (formerly Chervonopartyzansk, 65km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw ten cars with Ukrainian licence plates, one bus with Russian Federation licence plates and about 30 passengers on board, and four pedestrians (a child aged 5-10, two men aged 25-45 and a woman aged 30-35) exiting Ukraine. The SMM saw 14 cars (ten with Ukrainian and four with Russian Federation licence plates), a bus (with Russian Federation licence plates with a sign indicating the route “Crimea-Luhansk” in Russian language and approximately 45 passengers on board) and seven pedestrians (all men aged 40-70) entering Ukraine.

At the railway station in Voznesenivka, the SMM saw approximately 50 stationary rail wagons for coal transportation (the SMM could not see the content of the wagons). It also saw two cisterns; the stationary one bore hazard identification number 33 on it (the SMM could not see the content of the cisterns) and was attached to other rail wagons that had no locomotive.

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 Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) should contribute to such response and co-ordinate mine clearance. Nonetheless, the armed formations in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions frequently deny the SMM access to areas adjacent to Ukraine’s border outside control of the Government, citing orders to do so. (See, for example, SMM Daily Report 12 January 2018.) The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remain restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April 2017 near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations.

Denial of access:

• Near a compound on the south-western outskirts of Leninskyi district in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city, an armed man told the SMM to “leave the area immediately.”

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 “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
• The SMM was prevented from accessing secondary roads in the Zolote disengagement area due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that he had no information regarding de-mining in the area during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.[3]
• 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 he had no information regarding demining activities over the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.4
• The SMM did 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 said there were mines on the road south of the bridge. The SMM informed the JCCC.4

 

[1] For a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table. Two SMM cameras continue to be tested until the end of January 2018.

* 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.

[3] The SMM informed Ukrainian Armed Forces officers of the JCCC. Russian Federation Armed Forces officers of the JCCC have withdrawn from the JCCC as of 18 December 2017.