Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30, 28 June 2016
This report is for media and the general public.
In Donetsk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations compared to the previous reporting period, with most of the fighting recorded in Avdiivka and Svitlodarsk. In Luhansk region the SMM continued to note a calm situation with two single shots of small-arms fire recorded. It monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable recovery of the bodies of “DPR” members in Sakhanka. The SMM conducted crater analysis in Donetsk, Dokuchaievsk and Rumiantseve. It continued to observe the withdrawal of weapons. The SMM continued to monitor the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. It facilitated repairs to essential infrastructure in Trokhizbenka, near Gagarin mine, Krasnyi Lyman, and in Pryshyb. It observed the presence of explosive remnants of war. The SMM did not encounter any specific restrictions to its freedom of movement.*
The SMM observed fewer ceasefire violations[1] in Donetsk region compared to the previous reporting period. In Donetsk city the situation continued to remain calm with two undetermined explosions recorded.
Positioned in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk), the SMM heard 44 explosions: nine assessed as 82mm mortar round impacts, six as recoilless-gun (SPG-9) round impacts, and nine as impacts of automatic-grenade launcher fire; five assessed as outgoing 82mm mortar rounds and three as outgoing recoilless-gun (SPG-9) rounds; and six undetermined explosions, all 3-6km north-east, east and south of its position. Whilst in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM heard 13 explosions (11 undetermined, one assessed as an impact and one outgoing caused by an undetermined type of weapon) 2-8km west and north-west of its position.
Whilst in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM, during the night of 27 June, heard 38 explosions (31 assessed as caused by outgoing automatic-grenade-launcher rounds and seven assessed as 82mm mortar round impacts) and over 250 single shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, 5km south-east of its position. In “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM recorded eight explosions assessed as 82mm mortar round impacts and five undetermined explosions, 10-12km north-north-east of its position.
In the late afternoon of 27 June, whilst in “DPR”-controlled Kominternove (23km north-east of Mariupol) the SMM heard 67 undetermined explosions, 41 of them within 35 minutes, at an unknown distance east, south-south-west, south-west, and north-west of its position.
The SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded eight explosions assessed as impacts at a distance of 2-2.5km north-east; and two undetermined explosions, as well as bursts of direct tracer fire in the following sequence: multiple bursts fired east to west, 14 bursts fired south to north, 31 bursts fired east to west, 22 bursts fired south to north, and seven bursts fired east to west, at an unknown distance north-east.
In Luhansk region the SMM recorded two single shots of small arms-fire less than 1km north-east of its position in Novooleksandrivka (65km west of Luhansk).
The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis. Following reports by a “DPR” member about six armed “DPR” members allegedly killed by shelling on 27 June in “DPR”-controlled Sakhanka (24km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM monitored the adherence to the ceasefire to enable the recovery of the bodies. Later, the SMM observed the recovery of two bodies in Sakhanka. In Kominternove the SMM saw the tailfin of a recoilless-gun (SPG-9) round in a concrete shed assessed as fired from a south-south-westerly direction, which had ricocheted from a metal gate, hit the wall and exploded.
In “DPR”-controlled Kuibyshevskyi district (8km west of Donetsk city centre), at Tumaniana Street, the SMM observed fresh damage to multi-storey buildings located south-west of the street (broken windows and shrapnel marks on the north-east side of the buildings), a damaged civilian car and fallen tree branches assessed as caused by an airburst some three meters above the ground. Local residents showed the SMM the tail of a 120mm mortar round and two parts of a fuse, located a few meters apart. At a flat north-east of the street the SMM observed a window and a door of a storage room, facing south-west, assessed as pierced by shrapnel. The SMM could not assess the direction of fire. At Shakhtarskoy Slavy Street, the SMM analysed a fresh crater assessed as caused by a mortar round fired from a north-westerly direction. The SMM observed the tail of a 120mm mortar round in the crater. The SMM also noted shrapnel damage to a nearby gas pipeline. At Heroiv Pratsi Street, the SMM analysed a fresh crater on the road assessed as consistent with a 120mm mortar round fired from a north-westerly direction. The SMM saw no shrapnel debris. The SMM noted fresh tracks on the tarmac (not older than 48 hours), assessed as from at least two armoured vehicles at the exit of Kuibyshevskyi district.
In “DPR”-controlled Dokuchaievsk (32km south-west of Donetsk), accompanied by a Russian Federation Armed Forces representative to the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), the SMM noted properties damaged by shelling. At a walled-in industrial area with residents in the premises, the SMM saw a recently caused hole in the roof of a garage and the tail of a projectile next to the hole. The SMM noted that the wooden part of the roof construction was recently broken, assessed as caused by a 73mm recoilless gun (SPG-9) fired from an undetermined direction. At a non-operating oil refinery, the SMM saw several pieces of unexploded ordnance (122mm mortar round) on the ground. The SMM observed damage caused by shelling near residential areas in “DPR”-controlled Rumiantseve on the north-eastern edge of Horlivka. In a house, the SMM observed two pieces of shrapnel that had torn through a roof and landed on a bed, but the residents reported no casualties. The SMM observed that shrapnel had fallen through roofs, sheds and fences at a sharp downward angle, and several severed tree branches as high as five to six meters. The SMM saw shallow craters (30cm wide and 10cm deep) at a nearby gravel road assessed as caused by airburst munitions, thus the SMM could not assess the calibre of the shells or the direction of the fire.
In relation to the implementation of the Addendum to the Package of Measures, beyond the withdrawal lines but outside storage sites, the SMM saw in government-controlled areas: three tanks (T-64) loaded on flatbed trucks near Novoaidar (50km north-west of Luhansk), headed west, and one tank (T-64B) loaded on a flatbed truck near Dmytrivka (42km north of Luhansk), heading west. In “LPR”-controlled areas the SMM noted eight stationary tanks (T-64) at training sites near Myrne (28km south-west of Luhansk).
The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of heavy weapons as foreseen in the Minsk Package of Measures.
In violation of the withdrawal lines the SMM noted eight anti-tank guns (2A19 MT-12 Rapira) towed by eight armoured personnel carriers (APC; MT-LB) loaded on stationary flatbed rail cars at the railway station in Avdiivka.
The SMM has yet to receive the full information requested in the 16 October 2015 notification. The SMM revisits 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 “DPR”-controlled areas beyond the respective withdrawal lines, the SMM revisited such areas and noted: nine multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS; BM-21 Grad, 122mm), eight anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm), and six self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika 122mm). The SMM noted the following as missing: two MLRS (BM-21 Grad, 122mm), two anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm), and four self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika 122mm), as first observed missing on 5 April 2015.
Beyond withdrawal lines but outside storage sites the SMM saw two self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) loaded on military flatbed trucks, going east on road H-21 near the “LPR”-controlled Uspenka training area (23km south-west of Luhansk).
The SMM continued to note the presence of armoured vehicles in the security zone. In government-controlled areas the SMM noted: an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) stationary on the H20 Krasnohorivka-Avdiivka road; a light-armoured vehicle (Kraz Cougar) mounted with a 12.7mm heavy machine-gun near Zolote (60km west of Luhansk), and two stationary APCs (BTR-4 and BTR-60) in Popasna (70km west of Luhansk).
The SMM continued to observe long queues at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. At government checkpoints on H15 near Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM observed eight passenger vehicles waiting to exit government-controlled areas and 317 passenger vehicles and 400 pedestrians queuing in the opposite direction. After it passed the checkpoint civilians physically blocked the SMM’s vehicle, for five minutes, demanding a faster screening process by the Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel. At “DPR” checkpoints near Olenivka (23km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM observed 180 passenger vehicles queuing to travel to government-controlled areas and 100 passenger vehicles queuing in the opposite direction. At the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (16km north-east of Luhansk) the SMM observed no queue at the “LPR” checkpoint towards “LPR”-controlled areas, while at the government checkpoint the SMM observed 400-500 pedestrians waiting to enter government-controlled areas. The SMM observed, in half an hour, four operational windows at the government checkpoint and estimated the flow of people entering government-controlled areas as 450 people per hour. The SMM saw many people at the emergency services tent nearby taking a rest and drinking water.
The SMM monitored three border areas not controlled by the Government. The SMM monitored border crossing points in “DPR”-controlled Ulianivske (61km south-east of Donetsk), and in “LPR”-controlled Novoborovytsi (79km south of Luhansk) and Dovzhanskyi (84km south-east of Luhansk). At the Dovzhanskyi border crossing point, the SMM observed the highest vehicular traffic among the three. It noted, during 49 minutes, 21 civilian cars (19 with Ukrainian and two with Russian Federation licence plates), one covered cargo truck and two buses with Ukrainian licence plates leaving Ukraine and three cargo trucks with Russian Federation licence plates and three pedestrians (women) entering Ukraine. The SMM saw 35 civilian cars (33 with Ukrainian and two with Russian Federation licence plates) and one taxi (with Ukrainian licence plates) parked nearby.
The SMM observed the presence of explosive remnants of war near the contact line. In Kominternove the SMM saw two boys (aged 10-12) playing with a recoilless-gun (SPG-9) shell. The SMM warned them about the danger and provided mine awareness materials.
The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure. The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs to the water pipelines at the Gagarin mine (“DPR”-controlled, 34km north-east of Donetsk) along the contact line, which provide running water to government-controlled areas in Hryhorivka (formerly Leninske, 46km north-east of Donetsk) and Maiorsk (45km north-east of Donetsk). In government-controlled Trokhizbenka (33km north-west of Luhansk) the SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire for repair and maintenance work of the “LPR”-controlled Krasnyi Lyman (30km north-west of Luhansk) water pipeline and repair works of the gas pipeline near “LPR”-controlled Pryshyb (33km north-west of Luhansk).
The SMM continued to monitor the situation of civilians living near the contact line. In government-controlled parts of Zolote-5 five local men (aged 65) told the SMM that they have had no electricity or water supply in the past two months. Four residents (men and women, aged 40-50) in Zolote-4 raised the same problem. In “LPR”-controlled Pervomaisk (57km west of Luhansk) seven local residents (men and women, aged 25-55) informed the SMM that water in the city was supplied every three days in the evening for three to four hours. In Zolote-4 one woman told the SMM that a checkpoint located less than 15 meters from her house posed a security risk for her and her neighbours. Ten pensioners (women, aged 50-60) in Rumiantseve complained about inflated transportation costs to travel to government-controlled Bakhmut (67km north-east of Donetsk) to pick up their pensions.
*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.
Besides the above-mentioned general restrictions, the SMM was not subject to any specific restriction to its freedom of movement.
[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.