Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 19:30 (Kyiv time), 17 June 2015

This report is provided 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. The situation at and around Donetsk airport was relatively calm. The SMM facilitated the transportation of water supply equipment and a local ceasefire to fix water supply problems.

The situation at and around Donetsk airport remained relatively calm for the third consecutive day. During a reporting period of eight hours at the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) observation point at Donetsk central railway station (“Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”)-controlled, 8km north-west of Donetsk city centre), the SMM observed a total of 19 explosions caused by unspecified types of weapon, seven bursts of heavy machine-gun fire and six bursts of small arms fire at distances between 3 to 6km in areas north, west and north-west of its position.

From its observation posts in Sopyne (government-controlled, 1.5km west of Shyrokyne, 20km east of Mariupol), the SMM heard 10-15 undetermined explosions originating from a far distance north-north-east of its position.

In Novokalynove (government-controlled, 35km north-west of Donetsk) the SMM monitored the situation concerning shelling of a gas pipeline on 12 June. The SMM observed that the site area was severely burnt. The SMM examined two craters assessed to have been caused by shells (122mm or larger) fired from 150 degrees in a south-south-easterly direction. The SMM saw refuse (e.g. plastic bottles) and numerous empty boxes of ammunition (152mm).

At the JCCC headquarters in Soledar (government-controlled, 75km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM was presented with two logbooks of 16 June, compiled independently by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Russian Federation Armed Forces representatives at the JCCC. The Ukrainian Armed Forces logbooks recorded 73 ceasefire violations, 15 of which were attributed to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and 58 to the illegal armed groups. The Russian Federation Armed Forces logbook recorded 48 ceasefire violations, of which nine were attributed to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and 39 to the illegal armed groups.

Following a request on 11 June by the director of the water supply enterprise Voda Donbassa located in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city, the SMM liaised on 13 June with the JCCC headquarters in Soledar to facilitate the transport of water pumping equipment across the contact line. This equipment, according to the director, is vital for the water supply in Komsomolske (“DPR”-controlled, 45km south-east of Donetsk), as problems with the system risked leaving around 13,000 residents in the area without running water. The JCCC agreed to address the issue with the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) and the “DPR” commands. On 17 June the director told the SMM that Voda Donbassa, in consultation with the JCCC, had started the transportation of pumps, and a convoy carrying the equipment had already crossed the contact line and was on its way to Komsomolske.

In addition, following a request by Voda Donbassa on 13 June, the SMM liaised with the JCCC to secure a local ceasefire in the area of government-controlled Maiorsk (near the contact line, 43km north of Donetsk) to fix the water supply system there, which the director said had been damaged by shelling on 10 June, leaving some 100,000 people in Horlivka (“DPR”-controlled, 45km north of Donetsk) and environs without running water. The JCCC and the ATO and “DPR” commands agreed, and the defect was subsequently fixed temporarily on 16 June, allowing for water supply to resume. On 17 June, the director asked the SMM to assist also in securing another local ceasefire for the rehabilitation of a section of a water canal 2.5km long in Maiorsk, for a longer-term solution to the water supply issue.

The SMM visited hospital no. 21 in Donetsk city which, according to the head doctor, had been shelled on 6 and 15 June. The head doctor said that during the night of 16 June a blast had shattered the windows of the hospital for the third time. The SMM observed damage to the hospital building (broken windows and scarred façade and shrapnel damage to inside walls). The head doctor told the SMM that the hospital had currently 186 civilian patients. Four patients had arrived during the night and one of them was severely injured, she added. She said the hospital faced shortages in medicines, supplies, and fresh food, as well as from lack of gas supply and irregular water and electricity supply.

The deputy head of administration in Artemivsk (government-controlled, 66km north of Donetsk) told the SMM that the movement – crossing of checkpoints to Artemivsk city - by the local residents was highly restricted. According to him, residents faced difficulties commuting to work or going to the hospital because of the waiting time at checkpoints – which can last up to several hours – and lack of public transport. He added that only one third of the land in the Artemivsk district could be cultivated due to unspecified mines or because some fields had been turned into trenches; hence the residents were facing economic difficulties.

The SMM observed that the overall situation in the Luhansk region was tense. On 16 June, between 10:50 and 12:30hrs, whilst in “Lugansk People’s Republic” (“LPR”)-controlled Slovianoserbsk (28km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard over 120 explosions at a distance between 4-5km north of its position. The SMM estimated the explosions had originated from a Ukrainian Armed Forces shooting range for main battle tanks and heavy artillery near government-controlled Trokhizbenka (33km north-west of Luhansk).
 

On 17 June, between 11:10 and 12:05hrs, the SMM heard  multiple artillery and mortar fire explosions in government-controlled Orikhove (56km north-west of Luhansk), both incoming and outgoing, at a distance between 500m to 6km in areas south, south-west, and south-east of its position. In “LPR”-controlled Tsvitnie Pisky (10km north of Luhansk) the SMM heard seven incoming heavy artillery explosions at a distance between six to ten kilometres in a south-westerly direction.

In “LPR”-controlled Lomuvatka (57km south-west of Luhansk), a civilian female (aged 50) told the SMM that the village had not had a water supply for the last two months.

The SMM revisited one “DPR” and one “LPR” heavy weapon holding area whose distance and location comply with respective withdrawal lines. In the “DPR” heavy weapon holding area, the SMM observed that two previously recorded towed howitzers (122mm, D-30) were in situ. In the “LPR” heavy weapon holding area the SMM observed no weapons or military personnel present.

On 16 June, at 11:00hrs in “LPR”-controlled Lutuhyne (20km south of Luhansk) the SMM observed a radar tracking unit towed by a KAMAZ-type truck, as well as two military trucks, heading south. The SMM estimated the antenna boom to be in a transport position and the active antenna portion was covered. The SMM assessed it to be a modern, “phased array” system, possibly part of a projectile tracking or fire control system.

In government-controlled areas near Mariupol (103km south of Donetsk), the SMM unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted three artillery pieces (possibly 162mm), with evidence suggesting that they had been used recently. At “DPR”-controlled Parus village near Mariupol, the UAV spotted an anti-aircraft gun (probably 23mm) mounted on a military vehicle, which was then fired upon the UAV along with several automatic rifles, forcing the UAV to switch to emergency mode.

In Dnepropetrovsk, on 16 June the SMM met with the deputy mayor of Kryvyi Rih (137km south-west of Dnepropetrovsk). He explained that 12,499 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are registered in the city, of whom 8,651 are from Donetsk region, 3,666 from Luhansk region and 176 from Crimea. He said that the IDPs or the local residents faced no problems with regards to schools, hospitals and dormitories. The head of the health care department present in the meeting said that since the beginning of the conflict the supply of vaccinations from Russian suppliers had stopped and that children were currently not being vaccinated against tuberculosis. The number of children with tuberculosis had increased from 15 to 30 in the last four months, he added.

In Odessa the SMM monitored the presentation by the Odessa mayor of a public report of his first year in office to the city council. The mayor addressed a crowd of 2,000 individuals (60% women aged 40-60, mostly working for the municipality; most of the 40% males were aged 18-21, were estimated to be vocational students; around 100 men in their mid-late twenties), watching outside the council’s chamber on large electronic video screens. The SMM observed also around 100 pensioners (50% male, 50% female) watching the screen from benches outside of the venue. The SMM observed many participants holding about 200 flags of the mayor’s political party, Doveryay Delam, and another 200 flags of Ukraine.  The SMM observed the presence of nine buses with regular and riot police along side streets, but a low presence of police at the event itself.

In Kyiv the SMM monitored a public gathering outside the parliament (Verkhovna Rada). Three different groups had organized demonstrations simultaneously. Each group consisted of around 20-50 individuals (men and women, middle aged and elderly) who demonstrated against what they said were the inefficient anti-corruption prosecutors; against a law on introduction of cash registers in private companies; and for the National Bank to take responsibilities of bankrupt commercial banks and recover depositor savings. The SMM observed around 20 police present in front of the parliament and 53 police busses carrying riot police in the vicinity of the building. The event ended peacefully.

The SMM continued to monitor the situation in Kherson, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Chernivtsi, and Kharkiv.

* Restrictions on SMM monitoring, 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 presence of mines, the lack of information on whereabouts of landmines, as well as damaged infrastructure. The security situation in Donbas is fluid and unpredictable and the ceasefire does not hold everywhere. Self-imposed restriction on movement into high risk areas have impinged on SMM patrolling activities, particularly in areas not controlled by the government.

Interference with UAV:

• On 16 June, at around 19:30hrs, an SMM UAV was fired upon while flying over an area 4km east (“DPR”-controlled area) of Shyrokyne with an anti-aircraft artillery system (ZU-23) mounted on a flatbed truck. Four bursts were fired. In addition, the UAV spotted individuals firing small arms into the air targeting the UAV. The incident lasted approximately two minutes. In a separate episode, while flying over areas between government-controlled Sopyne and Pionerske (16 and 13km east of Mariupol), the UAV was subjected to heavy jamming targeting its GPS, which led to a serious disruption of flight controls. In response to the jamming, the operations switched to manual emergency mode and the UAV returned to base. The severity of the jamming led the operating company to believe that highly sophisticated military-grade equipment was used. The UAV was not damaged in either of the two incidents.

Prevented access:

• At Novotroitske (government-controlled, 67km north of Mariupol) the SMM was not allowed to proceed to the eastern part of the village to conduct crater analysis from reported shelling on 15 June. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer told the SMM that only Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel and local residents were allowed access to the eastern part of the village.

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