Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30, 23 May 2016

This report is for media and the general public.

The SMM observed a marked decrease in the level of violence in Donetsk region as compared to the previous reporting period. Luhansk region remained relatively calm. The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and noted the presence of armoured combat vehicles and anti-aircraft weapons in the security zone. The Mission observed the full re-opening of the Olenivka crossing route, and learned that people had stayed overnight at the Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint near Berezove. A man died from a heart attack while queuing at a checkpoint south of Stanytsia Luhanska. The Mission’s freedom of movement was restricted once, in an area not controlled by the Government.*

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded a decrease in ceasefire violations[1] as compared to the previous reporting period.

Positioned in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city centre, between 21:59 and 23:18 on 22 May the SMM heard three undetermined explosions and five single shots of small-arms fire 1-5km north-north-west of its position. In “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) between 08:57 and 13:10, the SMM heard 19 undetermined explosions and four single shots of small-arms fire 0.5-3km west-south-west and north-east of its position. Between 13:21 and 16:22, the SMM heard 18 undetermined explosions, five bursts and 12 single shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire 2-5km west and west-north-west of its position. Positioned 2km south of government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk), the SMM between 13:04 and 13:24 heard 11 explosions assessed as impacts of 82mm mortar 4km east of its position. Between 16:05 and 16:58, the SMM heard four explosions assessed as impacts of recoilless gun (SPG-9, 73mm), 11 undetermined explosions, seven explosions assessed as impacts of 82mm mortar, 22 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire and three shots and six bursts of small-arms fire. Between 17:14 and 17:15, the SMM heard one explosion assessed as an outgoing 120mm mortar round and five bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire 3km south-east of its position.

While in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM between 23:45 on 22 May and 07:15 on 23 May heard at least eight undetermined explosions and 20 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire 2-3km south-east of its position.

While in government-controlled Mariupol city centre, the SMM between 23:15 and 23:25 on 22 May heard six undetermined explosions at an undetermined distance east of its position. Between 23:26 and 03:58 on 22-23 May, an SMM camera in government-controlled Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol), facing north, recorded 20 rounds of indirect fire at undetermined distances. Of those, the first two were from north to south, followed by – sequently –  two from west to east, one from south-west to north-east,  one from south-east to north-east, one from north-west to south-east, one from north to south, one from north-east  to south-west, one from  north to east, one from north-east to south-west, five from south-east to north-west, one from north-east to south-west, one from south-east to north-west, and finally, two from south to north.

The SMM monitored the aftermath of alleged shelling incidents on both sides of the contact line. One kilometre east of a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint near government-controlled Berdianske (18km west of Mariupol), the SMM observed five craters, three of which were inaccessible due to security concerns. Of the other two craters, the SMM assessed that one had been caused by a 120mm mortar round and one by a 122mm artillery round. The checkpoint commander told the SMM that Ukrainian Armed Forces positions in the area had been shelled at 21:00 the previous evening. In “DPR”-controlled Kominternove (23km north-east of Mariupol), two middle-aged women told the SMM that an uninhabited house had been shelled the previous night, and that a 122mm artillery shell was in the adjoining garden. An armed “DPR” member prevented the SMM from accessing the street on which the house is located.* A number of other armed “DPR” members at a checkpoint in the village told the SMM that their position had come under small-arms and light-weapons and automatic-grenade-launcher fire between 20:45 and 03:00 the previous night.

Luhansk region remained relatively calm, in keeping with the previous day’s single-digit number of ceasefire violations. While in government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk), the SMM, between 20:15 and 20:18 on 22 May heard two explosions 3-4km south-west of its position. After the second explosion, the SMM observed a cloud of smoke south-west of its position, assessed as caused by a mortar explosion. At 04:05, the SMM heard two undetermined explosions, assessed as caused by mortars, south of its position.                        

In relation to the implementation of the Addendum to the Package of Measures, the SMM revisited Ukrainian Armed Forces permanent storage sites whose locations corresponded with the withdrawal lines. It observed 19 tanks (T-64) and one mortar (2B9 Vasilek, 82mm) missing.

In violation of respective withdrawal lines, the  SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted three mortars (PM-38, 120mm) in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk).

The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of heavy weapons as foreseen in the Minsk Package of Measures.

In violation of respective withdrawal lines, the SMM long-range UAV spotted two towed howitzers (D-30, 122mm) in “DPR”-controlled Karlo-Marksove (38km north-east of Donetsk).

The SMM revisited an “LPR” heavy weapons permanent storage site and noted that seven towed howitzers (D-30, 122mm) were missing.

The SMM has yet to receive the full information requested in the 16 October 2015 notification. The SMM revisited locations known to the SMM as heavy weapons holding areas, even though they do not comply with the specific criteria set out for permanent storage sites in the notification.                                                          

In government-controlled areas beyond the respective withdrawal lines, the SMM revisited such locations and observed: 38 towed howitzers (24 2A65 Msta-B, 152mm; six D-20, 152mm; and eight 2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm), 18 self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm), 27 anti-tank guns (24 MT-12 Rapira, 100mm; and three D-48, 85mm) and 12 Addendum-regulated towed mortars (seven 2B11 Sani, 120mm; and five PM-38, 120mm).  The SMM observed 18 towed howitzers (12 2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm; and six D-30, 122mm) missing.

The SMM observed the presence of armoured combat vehicles and anti-aircraft weapons in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, the SMM observed one anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23), two multi-purpose armoured vehicles (MT-LB), one mounted with an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23-2),  one military truck with an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23-2) loaded on the back, and one armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) near Zolote (60km west of Luhansk); two armoured personnel carriers (APC; BTR-70) near Novookhtyrka (47km north-west of Luhansk); and two APCs (BTR-60 and BTR-4) near Popasna (69km west of Luhansk). In “DPR”-controlled areas, an SMM long-range UAV spotted two MT-LBs near Karlo-Marksove.

The SMM continued to monitor long queues at crossing routes near the contact line. At Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoints along the H15 highway near government-controlled Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk city) the SMM in the morning observed in total 547 civilian cars, 23 civilian buses and 280 pedestrians queuing to enter government-controlled areas; and 70 civilian cars queuing to travel in the other direction. Also in the morning, at “DPR” checkpoints on the same road, the SMM observed two civilian cars queuing to enter government-controlled areas, and 34 civilian cars queuing to travel in the other direction. In the afternoon, at the Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoints, the SMM observed 263 civilian cars and 60 pedestrians queuing to enter government-controlled areas, and 62 civilian cars and 25 pedestrians queuing to travel in the other direction. At the “DPR” checkpoints, the SMM observed no queues in the afternoon.

The SMM noted that traffic was flowing in both directions through the “DPR” checkpoint near “DPR”-controlled Olenivka (23km south-west of Donetsk). The SMM had on 21 May noted the resumption of regular traffic flows through the checkpoint, which had been either fully or partially non-operational since the fatal shelling incident there on 27 April (see Shelling in Olenivka Spot Report 28 April 2016). Also on 21 May at the Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint in government-controlled Berezove (30km south-west of Donetsk), a woman told the SMM that she – along with other people in 50 vehicles – had spent the previous night just north-east of the Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint. According to her, she and the others had earlier passed through the “DPR” checkpoint in Olenivka but could proceed no further when the Berezove checkpoint closed at 16:00. It re-opened the following morning at 07:00, she added. She said she had heard explosions and small-arms fire from a north-western direction during the night. The commander of the nearby Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint in government-controlled Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk) confirmed that the Berezove checkpoint had been closed, leaving people unable to continue their journey.

The SMM learned about the death of a man queuing to cross the contact line in government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk). A Ukrainian border guard at the bridge south of the town told the SMM that a man had died from a heart attack while queuing to exit areas controlled by the Government. Emergency Ministry staff present at the bridge told the SMM that they administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation to the man after he had fallen ill while queuing at 15:00. They added that he had died at the scene before an ambulance reached the area.

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure. On both sides of the contact line in the Zolote area, the SMM monitored the repair of a pipe conveying water from government-controlled areas to areas not controlled by the Government. In “LPR”-controlled Obozne (18km north of Luhansk), the SMM observed as a de-mining team carried out a controlled explosion on an anti-tank mine before repair crews began working to repair pipes conveying water from government-controlled Petrivka (27km north of Luhansk) to Luhansk city.

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

*Restrictions to SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to the fulfilment of its mandate

The SMM’s monitoring is restrained by security hazards and threats, including risks posed by mines and unexploded ordnance, and by restrictions of its freedom of movement 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.

Denial of access:

• In “DPR”-controlled Kominternove (23km north-east of Mariupol), an armed “DPR” member prevented the SMM from accessing a street where allegedly shelling had occurred the previous night. The SMM informed the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination.

[1] Please see the annexed table for a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations as well as map of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions marked with locations featured in this report.

* Please see the section at the end of this report entitled “Restrictions to SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to the fulfilment of its mandate”.