Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 26 November 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

Summary

• Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• Following developments at sea near the Kerch Strait, the SMM continued to monitor the security situation and observed protests in different regions of Ukraine.
• The Mission observed heavy weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Karlivka and Lebedynske.
• The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area.
• The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and to enable an assessment of a water pipeline near Popasna. The Mission also continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station.
• In Zakarpattia and Lviv regions, the SMM monitored protests blocking roads leading to the international border crossing points in relation to import taxes.
• The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Bezimenne and Novoazovsk, an area close to the border with the Russian Federation.*

Ceasefire violations[1]

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including about 100 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours (about 170 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded east of Hnutove (government-controlled, 20km north-east of Mariupol), south-east of Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk) and south-east of Chermalyk (government-controlled, 31km north-east of Mariupol).

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including about 60 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours (about 115 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded north-west of Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, non-government-controlled, 50km west of Luhansk) and near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk) (see below).

Security situation following developments at sea, near the Kerch Strait

Following reported developments on 25 November at sea, near the Kerch Strait (see SMM Spot Report 26 November 2018), on 26 November the SMM monitored the security situation and observed protests in different regions of Ukraine.

In Kyiv, at 14A Yaroslava Khomova Lane, the SMM saw a white car (with diplomatic licence plates of the Russian Federation) with scorched marks parked on the roadside. The SMM saw ten people (all men, aged 20-35) gathered outside the Embassy and noted a calm situation.

Also in Kyiv, the SMM saw about 600-800 people (mostly men, aged 18-60) march on Institutska Street to 11 Bankova Street. Half of them were wearing Natsionalini Druzhyny and National Corps insignia. Outside the Parliament building, the SMM saw about 200 protesters (mostly men, aged 20-60). Some of them were carrying flags of Svoboda, Sokil and Right Sector and chanting messages critical of the Russian Federation. Inside the building, the SMM saw some members of Parliament preventing an extraordinary session from taking place. Parliament subsequently adopted a draft law approving a presidential decree “On the Imposition of Martial Law” for a period of 30 days in ten regions.

In Kharkiv and Odessa, the SMM observed similar protests in front of the buildings of the Consulate-General of the Russian Federation (see SMM Spot Report 26 November 2018). In Odessa, scuffles between law enforcement officers and protesters occurred.

In Lviv, the SMM followed up on reports of a protest outside the Consulate-General of the Russian Federation on 25 November. On 26 November, the SMM saw a pile of three tyres with a paper boat on top of it, as well as ashes, assessed as caused from recently burnt tyres, in front of the premises of the Consulate-General. The Mission noted a calm situation there.

Disengagement areas[2]

On the evening and night of 25-26 November, while on the eastern edge of the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM heard an undetermined explosion and about 30 bursts and shots of heavy-machine-gun fire, all at an assessed range of 1-5km south-west (assessed as outside the disengagement area). On the morning of 26 November, while at the same location, the SMM heard 32 undetermined explosions at an assessed range of 4-6km west-south-west (assessed as outside the disengagement area). The same morning, positioned just south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the SMM heard two undetermined explosions 15 km west-north-west (assessed as outside the disengagement area). Positioned 1km north of the bridge, the SMM heard an undetermined explosion at an assessed range of 5-7km south (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

On 26 November, an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle again spotted an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, about 400m north-east of its south-western edge. The same UAV also spotted four members of the armed formations nearby.

Positioned near the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the SMM observed a white signal flare fired by a member of the armed formations near a checkpoint south of the bridge. Members of the armed formations told the SMM that the flare had been launched to indicate readiness to disengage.

On the evening of 25 November, the SMM camera in Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) recorded a projectile in flight from south to north (assessed as outside the disengagement area). The following day, positioned on the southern edge of the Zolote disengagement area, the SMM heard two explosions assessed as impacts and three bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all at an assessed range of 2-3km north-west (all assessed as inside the disengagement area).

During the day on 26 November, positioned north of Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), the SMM observed a calm situation near the Petrivske disengagement area.

Withdrawal of weapons[3]

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

In violation of the withdrawal lines

Government-controlled areas:

26 November:

• A surface-to-air missile system (9K33 Osa) in Karlivka (25km north-west of Donetsk)
• A surface-to-air missile system (9K33) near Lebedynske (16km north-east of Mariupol)

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside of storage sites

Government-controlled areas:

26 November:

• Five self-propelled mortars (2S9 Nona-S, 120mm) at the railway station in Kostiantynivka (60km north of Donetsk) (see below)

Weapons that the SMM was unable to verify as withdrawn[4]

Non-government-controlled areas in Donetsk region beyond the respective withdrawal lines:

26 November:

• 11 multiple launch rocket systems (BM-21 Grad, 122mm), nine self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) and ten anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) remained missing

Indications of military and military-type presence in the security zone[5]

Government-controlled areas:

26 November:

• An armored personnel carrier (APC) (BTR-70) near Novobakhmutivka (28km north of Donetsk)
• Nine infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) (BMP-2) near Valentynivka (35km north of Donetsk)
• An IFV (BMP variant) near Popasna (69km west of Luhansk)
• An anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23) inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area (see above)

SMM facilitation of repairs to civilian infrastructure

The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk) and to enable an assessment of a water pipeline near Popasna. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station.

Border areas not under government control*

While at a border crossing point near Ulianivske (61km south-east of Donetsk) for about 30 minutes, the SMM saw a pedestrian (in his twenties) entering Ukraine and no cross-border traffic in the other direction. While at a pedestrian border crossing point near Novoborovytsi (79km south of Luhansk) for about 30 minutes, the SMM observed no cross-border traffic.

Roads blocked near international border crossing points in Zakarpattia, Lviv regions

In Zakarpattia and Lviv regions, the SMM monitored protests which blocked roads leading to international border crossing points. At each location, participants separately told the SMM that they were expressing opposition to an increase of import taxes on used vehicles. (See SMM Daily Report 21 November 2018.)

At the international border crossing points near Chop (194km west of Ivano-Frankivsk), Uzhhorod (182km west of Ivano-Frankivsk) and Malyi Bereznyi (167km west of Ivano-Frankivsk), the SMM saw 20-300 protesters (mostly men, mixed ages) and 15-60 cars with foreign licence plates blocking vehicular traffic in the direction of the border with Slovakia. At the crossing points near Chop and Uzhhorod, the Mission saw 130-140 trucks queuing to exit Ukraine.

At the international border crossing points near Krakovets (64km west of Lviv) and Rava-Ruska (52km north-west of Lviv), the SMM saw 200-300 protesters (mixed gender and ages) and 80-100 cars with foreign licence plates blocking vehicular traffic in the direction of the border with Poland. Near the international border crossing point close to Hrushiv (59km north-west of Lviv), the SMM saw about ten protestors (mixed gender and ages) and five vehicles with foreign licence plates. The Mission noted that vehicular traffic was not blocked there. At each location, about 140-200 vehicles were queuing to exit Ukraine.

Other observations

On 25 November, in Kharkiv and Dnipro, the SMM observed flash mobs on the occasion of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. There were 15-40 participants (mixed gender and ages).

The SMM continued monitoring in Chernivtsi and Kherson.

*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 (for example, see below). 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.

Denials of access:

• On the morning of 26 November, at the railway station in Kostiantynivka, two Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers prevented the SMM from accessing the area where it observed self-propelled mortars from a distance (see above).
• At a checkpoint 2.5km west of Bezimenne (non-government-controlled, 30km east of Mariupol), ten armed members of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage west toward road E58.
• At a checkpoint north of Novoazovsk (non-government-controlled, 40km east of Mariupol), an area near the border with the Russian Federation, two armed members of the armed formations again prevented the SMM from traveling south.

Regular restrictions related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• The sides continued to deny the SMM full access to the three disengagement areas, as well as to impede its ability to travel certain roads previously identified as important for effective monitoring by the Mission and for civilians’ movement, through failure to conduct comprehensive clearance of mines and UXO.
• South of the bridge in Shchastia (government-controlled, 20km north of Luhansk), a member of the armed formations told the SMM that no demining had taken place north of the positions of the armed formations. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed.

Delay:

• On the afternoon of 26 November, at the railway station in Kostiantynivka, three Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers denied the SMM access to the area. After 18 minutes, the SMM was allowed to access it.

[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. The SMM cameras in Hranitne and Krasnohorivka were not operational during the reporting period.

[2] Disengagement is foreseen in the Framework Decision of the Trilateral Contact Group relating to disengagement of forces and hardware of 21 September 2016.

[3] The sentence on a weapon in violation of withdrawal lines in a government-controlled area in SMM Daily Report 22 November 2018 should have read: a mortar (2B9 Vasilek, 82mm) in Karlivka (25km north-west of Donetsk).

[4] The SMM visited areas previously holding 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 from the SMM to the signatories of the Package of Measures on effective monitoring and verification of the withdrawal of heavy weapons. The SMM noted that three such sites continued to be abandoned.

[5] The hardware mentioned in this section is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.