Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 25 April 2019
This report is for the media and the general public.
Summary
- Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region.
- The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area.
- An SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle was lost in Donetsk region.
- The Mission observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas.
- The SMM again saw mines near Novoluhanske and a mine hazard sign for the first time near Petrivske.
- The Mission continued to observe hardships faced by civilians at checkpoints along the contact line.
- The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
- Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. The SMM was also restricted at a checkpoint of the armed formations in Zaichenko, as well as on roadways in Pervomaisk and near Korsun.*
Ceasefire violations[1]
In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations, including, however, more explosions (about 60), compared with the previous reporting period (40 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded at east-south-easterly and south-easterly directions of Chermalyk (government-controlled, 31km north-east of Mariupol) and at south-easterly directions of Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol).
In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including about 20 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 70 explosions). More than two-thirds of ceasefire violations were recorded south-south-east of Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk).
Disengagement areas[2]
During the day on 25 April, positioned at four locations near the disengagement area near Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard three undetermined explosions, three explosions assessed as outgoing rounds of undetermined weapons and 23 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire within 5km of the disengagement area’s periphery.
Positioned inside the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk) and close to the disengagement area near Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), the SMM observed calm situations.[3]
SMM loses mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle near the contact line in Donetsk region
At 11:21 while flying in an area near Azov (formerly Dzerzhynske, non-government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol), an SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) encountered signal interference assessed as jamming.[4] At 11:22, the SMM, which was flying the UAV remotely from a location near Lebedynske (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Mariupol), lost control of the UAV. An SMM mini-UAV flying in the vicinity of Lebedynske shortly afterwards also experienced signal interference. The SMM is making efforts to locate the mid-range UAV.*
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.
In violation of withdrawal lines
Non-government-controlled areas
On 24 April, an SMM mini-UAV spotted four tanks (one T-64 and three undetermined) near Novoselivka (16km west of Luhansk) (for previous observations, see SMM Daily Report 25 April 2019).
On 25 April, the SMM saw seven self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm), seven multiple launch rocket systems (BM-21 Grad, 122mm), and ten towed howitzers (five 2A65 Msta-B, 152mm and five D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm) at the former Luhansk international airport about 10km south of Luhansk city (for previous observations, see SMM Daily Report 16 April 2019 and SMM Daily Report 19 April 2019.)
Beyond withdrawal lines but outside of designated storage sites
Government-controlled areas
On 25 April, the SMM saw 25 tanks (T-64) at a railway station in Zachativka (74km south-west of Donetsk).
Non-government-controlled areas
18 April
Aerial imagery available to the SMM revealed the presence of:
- 13 tanks in a training area near Shymshynivka (27km south-west of Luhansk) (for previous observations, see SMM Daily Report 4 April 2019);
- 23 tanks in a training area near Kruhlyk (65km south-west of Luhansk) (for previous observations, see SMM Daily Report 16 April 2019); and
- 21 tanks, 15 pieces of towed artillery or mortars (type undetermined) and six self-propelled howitzers (type undetermined) in a training area near Myrne (28km south-west of Luhansk) (for previous observations, see SMM Daily Report 5 April 2019).
On 25 April, the SMM saw six surface-to-air missile systems (9K35 Strela-10) and seven tanks (T-72) at the former Luhansk international airport about 10km south of Luhansk city.
Weapons that the SMM could not verify as withdrawn
At a heavy weapons permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region
On 25 April, the SMM noted that seven self-propelled howitzers (2S1) and one towed howitzer (D-30) were missing for the first time.
Indications of military and military-type presence in the security zone[5]
Government-controlled areas
On 24 April, an SMM mid-range UAV again spotted an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BTR-3) about 350m west of the Bakhmut Agrarian Union’s pig farm near Novoluhanske (53km north-east of Donetsk).
25 April
The SMM saw:
- three IFVs (BMP variants) in Muratove (51km north-west of Luhansk) and
- five members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces launching a large white fixed-wing UAV (about 3m long and 2m wide) near Hranitne (60km south of Donetsk).
Non-government-controlled areas
24 April
An SMM mini-UAV spotted:
- 12 IFVs (BMP-1) near Sukhodil (21km west of Luhansk) and
- an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) near Zhovte (17km north-west of Luhansk).
On 25 April, the SMM saw three IFVs (BMP-1) on the south-eastern outskirts of Luhansk city.
Presence of mines near Novoluhanske and mine hazard signs near Petrivske and Syhnalne
On 24 April, an SMM mid-range UAV again spotted ten anti-tank mines (TM-62) laid across a road about 500m south-west of the Bakhmut Agrarian Union’s pig farm near Novoluhanske about 200m north of residential areas of Dolomitne (non-government-controlled, 53km north-east of Donetsk).
On the same day, about 600m west of Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 40km south-east of Donetsk), the SMM saw for the first time a white improvised mine hazard sign on a stick in the ground with “Attention! Mines!” written in Russian outside a compound.
On 25 April, on the north-western edge of Syhnalne (non-government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM again saw a red mine hazard sign with “Stop! Mines!” written in Russian attached to a chain blocking the road leading to a compound.
Demining activities near Myrne and Nikishyne
On 25 April, on road T-0512 about 4.5km south-east of Myrne (government-controlled, 40km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM saw 11 members of an international demining organization conducting demining activities. The SMM also saw four persons conducting demining activities in an area of a field marked with red and white tape approximately 400m west of the road leading from Nikishyne (non-government-controlled, 60km north-east of Donetsk) to Ridkodub (non-government-controlled, 61km north-east of Donetsk).
Hardship for civilians at checkpoints near the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge
At the checkpoint of the armed formations south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (15km north-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw an elderly man (in his eighties) being loaded into an ambulance by medical personnel. Ambulance personnel told the SMM that the man had had a heart attack while queuing to enter non-government-controlled areas.
At 12:30, at the checkpoint of the Ukrainian Armed Forces north of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the SMM saw about 400 people queuing to exit and about 1,200 people queuing to enter government-controlled areas. In the parking lot near the checkpoint, two women and two men (all 45-65 years old) told the SMM that it took them three to four hours to travel from non-government-controlled areas to government-controlled areas.
SMM facilitation of repairs to civilian infrastructure
The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk), to damaged houses in Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk) and Krasnohorivka (government-controlled, 21km west of Donetsk) (for previous repair works, see SMM Daily Report 29 December 2018), to the phenol sludge reservoir near Zalizne (formerly Artemove, government-controlled, 42km north-east of Donetsk) and to a water pipeline near Popasna. The SMM monitored the security situation in the area of the pumping station near Vasylivka (non-government-controlled, 20km north of Donetsk) and facilitated the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS).
The SMM was informed by personnel at the Donbass Fuel Energy Company (DTEK) that repair works to power lines near Luhanske (government-controlled, 59km east of Donetsk) were completed on 24 April, restoring power to approximately 2,000 civilians.
SMM monitored and facilitated the distribution of humanitarian aid in Katerynivka
The Mission monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate the delivery of coal by an international humanitarian organization in Katerynivka (government-controlled, 64km west of Luhansk).
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 on Control and Coordination (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 SMM Daily Report 23 April 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.
Denials of access:
- On 24 April, on a side road in Pervomaisk (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk), two members of the armed formations prevented the Mission from proceeding further, citing “demining activities in the area”.
- On road M-04 near Korsun (non-government-controlled, 31km north-east of Donetsk), two armed members of the armed formations prevented the SMM from proceeding further.
- At a checkpoint north of Zaichenko (non-government-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol), a member of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage south to Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol), and west to Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol), citing orders from “superiors”. While present, the SMM saw civilian cars passing through the checkpoint in both directions.
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.
Other impediments:
- An SMM mid-range UAV encountered signal interference, assessed as due to jamming, while flying in a region near Azov (formerly Dzerzhynske, non-government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol). (See above.)
- An SMM mini-UAV encountered signal interference, assessed as due to jamming, while flying near Lebedynske (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Mariupol).[6] (See above.)
[1] For a complete breakdown of ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table.
[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 on a road between Bohdanivka and Petrivske, the SMM cannot access its camera in Petrivske, and thus the SMM has not been able to access observations from the camera since 22 June 2018.
[4] The interference could have originated from anywhere within a radius of kilometres from the UAV’s position.
[5] The hardware mentioned in this section is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.
[6] The interference could have originated from anywhere within a radius of kilometres from the UAV’s position.