Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 19:30 (Kyiv time), 8 May 2015

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk agreements”. Its monitoring was restricted by third parties and security considerations.* Compared to previous days, the situation at Donetsk airport and Shyrokyne remained during daylight relatively calm. The SMM observed several official ceremonies for the “Reconciliation and Commemoration Day” throughout Ukraine passing peacefully.

The SMM observed during the reporting period several explosions from its locations in Donetsk city and Luhansk region, as well as a few explosions and some small-arms fire from an observation point on the eastern outskirts of government-controlled Berdianske (1.5km west of Shyrokyne; 18.5km east of Mariupol)[1].

The use of weapons directly observed was much less than in previous days. It should be noted in this context, however, that the SMM was restricted in its patrolling in Donetsk and Luhansk region during the reporting period as a result of last week’s increase in violence (see SMM Spot Report 3 May 2015, www.osce.org/ukraine-smm/154786). Furthermore, the movement of the SMM was impaired due to lack of mobile telephone coverage, reportedly caused by damage of the optical fibre cable, which resulted in the SMM vehicle tracking devices becoming non-operational. According to the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) in Donetsk, 120mm mortar outgoing shelling started early in the morning at 06:50hrs from Pisky village (12km north-west of Donetsk, government-controlled) to Zhabunki village (11km north-west of Donetsk, “Donetsk People’s Republic”(“DPR”)-controlled).

The SMM attended a weekly security meeting in Slovyansk (government-controlled, 95km north of Donetsk). The meeting is held each week in Slovyansk and chaired by the deputy mayor. Other participants are the Secret Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Ukrainian Armed Forces commander of Slovyansk, the National Guard, police, prosecutor and representatives of the anti-terrorism operation (ATO). The deputy mayor said that fears about an increased level of tension on 9 May had been created artificially and were fuelled by the media. According to him, the atmosphere among the general public is extremely tense and there were concerns that “DPR”-affiliated armed groups had returned to the city.

The SMM in Kyiv held a meeting via video conference with the Russian Colonel-General, Representative of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to the JCCC headquarters in Soledar (government-controlled, 77km north of Donetsk) and the Ukrainian Major-General, Head of the Ukrainian side to the JCCC, to discuss the recent increase in violence (see SMM Chief Monitor statement 8 May 2015, //www.osce.org/ukraine-smm/155931).

The SMM visited a psychiatric hospital, a closed institution, in “Lugansk People’s Republic”-(“LPR”)-controlled Slovianoserbsk (28km north-west of Luhansk). The director of the hospital said that there was a shortage of staff caused by the closure of a checkpoint between the hospital located in Slovianoserbsk and government-controlled Trokhizbenka (33km north-west of Luhansk). According to him, 53 out of 183 staff members commute each day from Trokhizbenka to Slovianoserbsk. In addition, the interlocutor said that already before closure of the checkpoint, no doctors had been working in the psychiatric hospital anymore. However patients were being transported to the nearby local hospital for diagnosing and revision of their treatment plans. About 80 per cent of the patients admitted to the hospital were from the government-controlled areas and now their family members were unable to visit them because of the closure of the checkpoint. The hospital currently has 287 female and 27 male patients.

In government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk) the SMM observed 30 to 40 mostly elderly female people lining up at the Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint to enter into government-controlled territory. Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers did not let them pass through on the grounds of travel restrictions stipulated in the temporary order on controlling the movement of people, vehicles and goods (T144). Those waiting said that many people came to the local market in Stanytsia Luhanska from “LPR”-controlled territory and Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers collect passports in order to make sure that people return. The SMM observed approximately ten passports stored in a box. The soldiers said that they would be given back when people returned and those queuing would be allowed to pass through. The SMM observed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers at the checkpoint were not searching people nor checking their belongings when they were returning to “LPR”-controlled territory. From 9:30 to 11.30hrs, the SMM observed around 300 to 350 people crossing the bridge in both directions. The large majority of them were female elderly persons visiting the market in Stanytsia Luhanska.

The SMM revisited six Ukrainian Armed Forces heavy weapons holding areas in the Donetsk region. While the SMM was granted freedom of movement and full access to all these storage sites, the SMM observed that some of the heavy weapons previously recorded were not present. At one storage site, four out of ten BM-21 Grad Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) previously recorded were missing. The SMM was told that two were lacking due to maintenance, while two others were in a winter storage military compound. At another location, six out of eighteen towed 152mm self-propelled howitzers (Msta-B) previously recorded were absent. Moreover, two of the pieces still present had their serial number tags removed; subsequently the SMM was unable to identify these pieces as compared to what was previously recorded.

Despite claims that the withdrawal of heavy weapons was complete, an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle observed the following weapons’ movements/presence in areas that are non-compliant with the withdrawal lines: (i) in “DPR”-controlled territory, two tanks; and, (ii) in government-controlled territory, eight tanks. 

The SMM observed several official ceremonies for the “Reconciliation and Commemoration Day” in the country. In Kharkiv, the SMM observed that approximately 1,000 people were present (mixed gender and age composition, predominantly young and middle-aged people) at the ceremony. The SMM saw about 450 police officers at the event. The SMM monitored the ceremony in Ivano-Frankivsk, where approximately 900 people (mixed gender and age composition) gathered in order to commemorate victims of World War II. Approximately 25 police officers were present. In Odessa, the SMM saw nearly 500 participants (different ages and an equal number of men and women) and approximately 30 police officers.  All events passed peacefully and no security incidents were reported.

The SMM continued to monitor the situation in Dnepropetrovsk, Kherson, Chernivtsi, Lviv and Kyiv.

* Restrictions on SMM access and freedom of movement:

The SMM is restrained in fulfilling its monitoring functions by restrictions imposed by third parties and security considerations including the lack of information on whereabouts of landmines.

The security situation in Donbas is fluid and unpredictable and the cease-fire does not hold everywhere.

• The SMM was stopped by Ukrainian Armed Forces engineering units before a checkpoint near government-controlled Nyzhnie (56km north-west of Luhansk) and was told that there was on-going fighting in and around a checkpoint  in the area of government-controlled Krymske (43km north-west of Luhansk). According to Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel there was mortar fire in the area and the “LPR"  was attempting to disrupt the building of new fortifications on the government-controlled side.  The SMM returned and drove towards government-controlled Novotoshkivske (53km north-west of Luhansk).

[1] For a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table.