Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 19 February 2019

This report is for the media and the general public.

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The SMM recovered the wreckage of its long-range unmanned aerial vehicle near Krynychanske.
• It followed up on reports of a woman injured by a bullet in Dokuchaievsk and saw fresh damage to an apartment building in Yasynuvata.  
• The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote and Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas.
• It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable inspection and repair works to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas, as well as at checkpoints in Betmanove and near Verkhnoshyrokivske and Novoazovsk.*

Ceasefire violations[1]

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including 225 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 90 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded at north-easterly and easterly directions of Mariupol (government-controlled), at northerly and southerly directions of Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk) and at easterly directions of Kamianka (government-controlled, 20km north of Donetsk).

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including about 170 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 70 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded in areas around the disengagement area near Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk).

SMM recovered wreckage of long-range unmanned aerial vehicle

About 700m west of Krynychanske (formerly Chervonohvardiiske, non-government-controlled, 42km west of Luhansk), the SMM, accompanied by two members of the armed formations, recovered the wreckage of the long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which crashed on 18 February. (See SMM Spot Report 18 February 2019 and SMM Daily Report 19 February 2019.) The SMM is currently making efforts to determine the cause of the crash.

Woman injured by small-arms fire in Dokuchaievsk

The SMM followed up on reports of a woman injured by small-arms fire at an apartment building in Dokuchaievsk (non-government-controlled, 30km south-west of Donetsk). On 17 February, at 7/75 Vatutina Street, the SMM, accompanied by a member of the armed formations, met a woman (in her seventies) with a deep abrasion and encircling purple bruising on her left thigh. She told the Mission that at around 06:45 on 16 February, while standing in front of a window (which the Mission saw had been shattered, see SMM Daily Report 19 February 2019), she felt a strong pain in her left thigh and heard window glass shatter. On 19 February, at an ambulance station in Dokuchaievsk, medical staff told the SMM that an injured woman had been treated on 16 February.

Damage to an apartment building in Yasynuvata due to shelling and small-arms fire

On 19 February, at 22 Hoholia Street in Yasynuvata, the SMM saw fresh damage to a three-storey brick apartment building with a shop on its ground floor. The SMM saw a hole in the north-facing side of the building, 1m below the shop’s window, assessed as caused by a bullet, as well as a hole in the east-facing side window of a covered balcony also located on the ground floor, assessed as caused by a bullet. On the third floor of the building, from inside the attic, the SMM observed a large hole in the north-north-east-facing side of the roof (the SMM could not assess the type of weapon and direction from which it was fired). Two residents of the building and a vendor at the shop separately told the SMM that the building had been shelled during the day on 15 February (for previous observations of damage in the same area, see SMM Daily Report 18 February 2019).

Disengagement areas[2]

On the evening of 18 February, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded four projectiles in flight from south-south-west to north-north-east at an assessed range of 3-4km south-south-east (unable to assess whether inside or outside the disengagement area). During the day on 19 February, positioned in and near Zolote-5/Mykhailivka (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard six explosions assessed as caused by mortar rounds at an assessed range of 2-7km north-north-east and west, and ten bursts of  heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire at an assessed range of 2-4km north-north-east and north-north-west, all assessed as outside the disengagement area. Positioned in and near Zolote-2/Karbonit (government-controlled, 62km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 52 explosions (47 assessed as caused by outgoing mortar rounds and five undetermined) at an assessed range of 3-8km at southerly directions, assessed as outside the disengagement area.

During the day on 19 February, while on the eastern edge of Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk), the SMM heard three shots of small-arms fire at an assessed range of 3-5km east, assessed as outside the disengagement area.

Positioned north of the disengagement area near Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), the SMM observed a calm situation.[3]

Withdrawal of weapons

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

Weapons in violation of withdrawal lines:

Government-controlled areas

19 February

The SMM saw:

• a surface-to-air missile system (9K33 Osa) heading east near Olhynka (40km south-west of Donetsk).

Weapons that the SMM could not verify as withdrawn[4]

At heavy weapons holding areas beyond the respective withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas of Donetsk region

19 February

The SMM noted that:

• 12 towed howitzers (2A65 Msta-B, 152mm) and four surface-to-air missile systems (9K33) were present and
• four multiple launch rocket systems (BM-21 Grad, 122mm), 55 towed howitzers (43 2A65 and 12 2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm), 20 anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) and eight surface-to-air missile systems (9K33) remained missing.

Weapons permanent storage sites

A permanent storage site beyond the respective withdrawal lines in a government-controlled area of Donetsk region

19 February

The SMM observed that:

• 20 tanks (T-72) remained missing, and
• weapons were present for the first time.

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

Government-controlled areas

18 February

An SMM long-range UAV spotted:

• an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1) near Orikhove (57km north-west of Luhansk);
• two IFVs (BMP-1) near Kriakivka (38km north-west of Luhansk);
• two armoured recovery vehicles (a VT-55 and a BREM-Ch) in Orikhove-Donetske (44km north-west of Luhansk);
• an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (MT-LB) and a probable APC (MT-LB) near Heivka (27km north-west of Luhansk); and
• two IFVs (BMP-2) and an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRM-1K) near Krymske (42km north-west of Luhansk).

The SMM saw:

• eight IFVs (BMP-1) on the eastern edge of Popasna (69km west of Luhansk).

19 February

The SMM saw:

• two APCs (Saxon) on the northern edge of Voitove (33km north-west of Luhansk);
• two armoured reconnaissance vehicles (BRMD-2) near Netailove (22km north-west of Donetsk);
• an IFV (BMP-2) in Orlivka (22km north-west of Donetsk);
• an APC (BTR-60) near Novobakhmutivka (28km north of Donetsk); and
• an APC (BTR-variant) and an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) near Kyrylivka (26km north-east of Mariupol).

Non-government-controlled areas

18 February

An SMM long-range UAV spotted:

• two IFVs (a BMP-1 and a BMP-2) near Nadarivka (64km west of Luhansk) and
• two IFVs (BMP-2) near Kalynove (60km west of Luhansk).

An SMM mini-UAV spotted:

• three APCs (MT-LB), one with an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23) mounted on top in Katerynivka (formerly Yuvileine, 8km west of Luhansk).

The SMM saw:

• an APC (MT-LB) equipped with an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23) on the trailer of a truck in Molodizhne (63km north-west of Luhansk).

19 February

The SMM saw:

• an APC (MT-LB) in Katerynivka.

SMM facilitation of repair works to civilian infrastructure

The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable inspection and repair works to water pipelines of the Petrivske water pumping station near Artema (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk) and to power transmission lines near Maiorsk (government-controlled, 45km north-east of Donetsk). The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk).

Demining activities

On 18 February, the SMM saw a vehicle with the logo of an international demining organization parked on road T-0519 near the junction with the road leading to Lomakyne (government-controlled, 15km north-east of Mariupol), and two representatives wearing clothing with the logo of the abovementioned organization using sticks to mark a clearance lane in a field 200m west of the road.

Border areas not under government control

While at a border crossing point near Marynivka (78km east of Donetsk) for about an hour, the SMM saw 15 cars (two with Ukrainian and seven with Russian Federation licence plates, as well as six with “DPR” plates) and two pedestrians entering Ukraine, as well as 15 cars (two with Ukrainian licence plates, as well as 13 with “DPR” plates), two covered cargo trucks with Russian Federation licence plates and a bus with “DPR” plates exiting Ukraine.

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 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 SMM Daily Report 18 February 2019). 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:

• At a checkpoint in Betmanove (formerly Krasnyi Partyzan, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Donetsk), an armed member of the armed formations denied the SMM passage, citing the need for prior permission from his superiors. After 15 minutes of waiting at the checkpoint, the same person allowed the Mission to proceed; however, shortly thereafter the SMM was approached by another armed member of the armed formations who denied it further passage, citing “instructions from his superior”.
• At a checkpoint on the northern edge of Novoazovsk (non-government-controlled, 40km east of Mariupol), two armed members of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage through the checkpoint.
• Ten armed members of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage through a checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske (non-government controlled, 29km north-east of Mariupol), after the SMM refused to show its patrol plan.

Delay:

• An armed member of the armed formations denied another SMM patrol passage through the abovementioned checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske (see above) after the SMM refused to show its patrol plan. After about 30 minutes, the same patrol attempted again to pass the checkpoint and was allowed through.

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 the 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.

[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 the reporting period, the SMM cameras in Svitlodarsk and Krasnohorivka were not operational.

[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] Due to the presence of mines, including a road between Bohdanivka and Petrivske, the SMM’s access to its camera in Petrivske remains limited, and thus the SMM has not been able to access observations from the camera since 22 June 2018.

[4] 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 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 one such site 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.