Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 18:00 (Kyiv time), 30 January 2015

This report is for media and the general public.

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). Two shelling incidents occurred in Donetsk city resulting in at least five civilian fatalities and eight civilians injured. Evacuation of civilians from “Donetsk People’s Republic” and “Lugansk People’s Republic” (“DPR” and “LPR”) - controlled areas continued.

At 12:30hrs, the SMM arrived in Kuibyshevskyi district (2km north-west of Donetsk city centre) to observe the aftermath of a reported shelling incident. In front of “Hotel Europe” and next to a humanitarian aid distribution point on Panfilova Avenue, the SMM saw five civilian fatalities, three men and two women. On Matrosova Street (0.3km from the first site), the SMM observed a trolley bus which had apparently been damaged by the shelling. At hospital No. 17 in Donetsk city, the SMM was told by hospital staff that eight injured civilians had been brought to the hospital, six from Panfilova Avenue and two from Matrosova Street. The SMM’s observations of the impact suggest that the impact was most likely caused by a 122mm artillery grenade, fired from a north-westerly direction.

At the entrance of “DPR”-controlled Khartzisk (25km east of Donetsk), the SMM observed a column of 13 infantry fighting vehicles (“BMP” type) heading towards Donetsk followed by one unmarked flatbed truck transporting another such vehicle.

At the “DPR”-controlled Illovaysk (31km east of Donetsk) freight railway terminal, the SMM observed five unmarked military trucks (Ural and Kamaz type) heading in the direction of Donetsk city. A column of another 12 unmarked military trucks of the same types was observed at the entrance of the station.

The SMM observed three tanks (type T72) stationary on the side of the route T0508 4km south of “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city.

The SMM was stopped at the Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint near Volnovakha (50km south of Donetsk) where the monitors were requested to show their ID cards and state their nationality.

When contacted by the SMM, the Ukrainian Armed Forces Major-General, Head of the Ukrainian side to the JCCC at its Debaltseve headquarters (55km north-east of Donetsk) said to the SMM that, despite the geographical distance, he remained in regular contact with the Russian Federation Major-General, Representative of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to the JCCC, who is now based in government-controlled Soledar (77km north of Donetsk). He added that the Russian Federation Major-General had officially informed him that the Russian Federation personnel will remain in Soledar and invited the Ukrainian Armed Forces officers at the JCCC headquarters to join them in Soledar.

On the evening of 29 January, the Donetsk regional administration announced that 152 persons had been evacuated from government-controlled Debaltseve by the administration and a further 38 were evacuated from Debaltseve by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The regional administration also said that it had supported earlier in the day NGOs and private enterprises in the evacuation of 220 people from government-controlled Avdiivka (14km north of Donetsk) and an additional 200 from government-controlled Svitlodarsk (55km north-west of Donetsk). (See SMM Daily Report 30 January).

The SMM observed approximately 10 cars with signs reading “children” traveling on road M03 from the direction of government-controlled Svitlodarsk towards government-controlled Artemivsk (66km north of Donetsk). On the side of road M03, 3km from the junction leading to Artemivsk, the SMM observed two buses, which carried 98 civilians being evacuated from Svitlodarsk. Later the SMM observed another two buses evacuating 38 people from Debaltseve. The bus company informed the SMM that a private enterprise ‘Centrenergo’, in conjunction with the regional administration, carried out the evacuations.

While approaching the government-controlled Raihorodka junction (38km north-west of Luhansk) on the road to government-controlled Shchastia (23km north of Luhansk), the SMM heard small arms fire in the direction of government-controlled Trokhizbenka (40km north-west of Luhansk). At the Raihorodka junction, the SMM observed a Grad rocket launcher BM21, armed with 39 rockets, as well as five military trucks (type KRAZ) loaded with Grad rockets, three of these trucks continued towards Shchastia and the remaining to towards Trokhizbenka. Between 11:42hrs to 11:46hrs the SMM heard what it estimated to have been a salvo of 38 outgoing Grad rockets fired from approximately 4km to the south-west in an unknown direction. 

While on the road to Kapitanove at around 1km from the checkpoint in government-controlled Novookhtyrka (75km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard, from 10:00hrs to 10:05hrs, continuous outgoing artillery fire from approximately 10km to the south-east. At 11:02hrs, approximately 6km south of Novookhtyrka checkpoint, on the road to Kapitanove, the SMM heard incoming and outgoing artillery fire around 5km to the south.

While attempting to monitor government-controlled Myrna Dolyna (75km west of Luhansk), the SMM was stopped at a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint at the entrance of the village. The checkpoint commander said that he had not received any information regarding the SMM’s freedom of movement and ordered the SMM to wait until he could clarify with his chain of command. The SMM members were not allowed to use their cell phones, were requested to present their SMM ID cards and state their nationality and date of birth. The SMM was not allowed to turn around and depart and the checkpoint commander refused to provide the name of the battalion commander. After being held for over an hour the SMM was denied access to Myrna Dolyna and departed.

The SMM was stopped at the “Mihailovka” checkpoint, 10km before “LPR”-controlled Alchevsk (43km west of Luhansk). The SMM was not granted access to the checkpoint “commander”, but was informed by the armed men affiliated with the “LPR” that it would not be allowed to pass without further instructions from their chain of command. 40 minutes later, three “LPR” members joined the checkpoint and started to display aggressive behaviour towards the SMM at which point the SMM turned around and departed.

The SMM returned to the site of the 27 January shelling of the Artemivskyi district in “LPR”-controlled Luhansk city (See SMM Daily Report 29 January) where it observed that all windows of Kindergarten No.5, located at 31 Gaiovogo Street had been shattered during the shelling. The SMM also observed and documented remnants of rockets including engines, fins and cargo compartments, as well as remnants of cluster munitions.

The deputy director of the Zmiiv thermal power plant in Zadonetske (44km south-east of Kharkiv) informed the SMM that on the night of 28-29 January, 250 internally displaced persons (IDPs), families of workers from Vuhlehirska thermal power plant, including some 90 mothers and 152 children, had arrived from Svitlodarsk (See SMM Daily Report 30 January) adding that another five buses with 160 IDPs were en route from government-controlled Sloviansk (95km north of Donetsk) to Zmiiv (39km south-east of Kharkiv).

On 29 January, the SMM monitored in several cities commemorations of the Ukrainian resistance against the Bolsheviks in the 1918 battle of Kruty. On Kherson’s Svoboda square, around 350 people were present and the speakers focused on similarities between the historic circumstances surrounding the battle and the current conflict in Ukraine. A group of 150-200 participants, led by “Pravyy Sektor” (Right Sector, RS) and Svoboda party activists marched through Ukhakova Street shouting patriotic slogans. In Odessa’s Shevchenko Park, approximately 150 participants, mostly men under the age of 40 gathered in the commemoration and the SMM observed RS, Svoboda party, “Patriot of Ukraine” and Azov battalion flags. At Ivano-Frankivsk’s Vichevyi square, the event was organized by the Youth Council, RS and two local NGOs, and was attended by around 600 participants, mostly young men. In Lviv city the SMM monitored a torchlight procession with approximately 300 people, mostly men, including around 100 from the RS most of which were in military fatigues. Similarities were drawn with the on-going conflict. The police was present at all four events and they ended peacefully.

The SMM visited the church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate in the Desnyanskiy district of Kyiv at the intersection of Saburova and Elektrotekhniczna streets, which was partly burned down during the night of 26-27 January. The SMM observed signs of fresh fire damage, including to the roof, which was severely damaged.  The priest said that unidentified person(s) initiated the fire with a burning car tire. The police informed the SMM that an investigation was launched.

The SMM monitored a protest organized by “Aidar” volunteer battalion representatives in front of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in Kyiv against a recently issued MoD directive on the abolition of the “Aidar” battalion. Some 60 battalion members blocked the entrance to the MoD. The police was present at the event which ended peacefully.

The situation in Dnepropetrovsk and Chernivtsi was calm.