Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 21 March 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period, and a similar number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The SMM heard small-arms fire close to its position while conducting a mini-UAV flight near Aslanove. The Mission observed damage from shelling in Sarabash and Donetskyi, and corroborated reports of a civilian casualty in Dokuchaievsk. The Mission monitored disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, but its access there and elsewhere remained restricted.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in government controlled areas. The SMM followed up on reports of vandalism against a bank branch in Kramatorsk and a shooting incident at a collective centre for internally displaced persons in Kyiv.

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including about 250 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period.

On the night of 20-21 March the SMM camera at the “DPR”-controlled Oktiabr mine (9km north-west of Donetsk city centre) recorded in about four hours a total of four undetermined explosions, two projectiles (both in flight from west to east), and 18 tracer rounds (all in flight from east to west) 6-8km north-east. On the morning of 21 March, at the same location, the SMM heard 16 undetermined explosions 1-3km north-west.

During daylight hours on 21 March, positioned in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) for five hours, the SMM heard eight undetermined explosions 3-5km south-east. Positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for five and a half hours, the SMM heard 59 undetermined explosions and bursts and shots of small-arms fire, mostly 2-7km ranging from west to north.

Positioned in “DPR”-controlled Kalininskyi district (2.5km east of Donetsk city centre) in the course of 20 minutes the SMM heard at least 40 explosions assessed as outgoing artillery rounds 10-15km south. Positioned in “DPR”-controlled Sarabash (former Komunarivka, 26km south of Donetsk) the SMM heard 46 undetermined explosions 6-8km north-west.

On the night of 20-21 March, while in “DPR”-controlled Debaltseve (58km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 25 undetermined explosions 5-15km west. On the evening of 20 March, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM heard 12 undetermined explosions 4-6km south-east. On the early afternoon of 21 March, positioned on the north-western edge of “DPR”-controlled Vuhlehirsk (49km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard four undetermined explosions 3-10km north.

On the evening of 20 March, while in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 26 undetermined explosions 6-7 and 10-12km south-west.

On the night of 20-21 March the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded three explosions assessed as the impacts from unknown weapons, three undetermined explosions, three rocket-assisted projectiles (two in flight from east to west followed by one from west to east), and nine tracer rounds (all in flight from east to west), all at undetermined distances to the north and north-east.

North of government-controlled Aslanove (16km north of Mariupol) while conducting a mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight 600m from its position, the SMM heard loud shouting voices originating from 300m north, and subsequently heard eight single shots of small-arms fire 300m north of its position.* The SMM immediately landed and recovered the UAV, and left the area. The SMM saw two men – one looking at the patrol and another overlooking the surrounding area – on a road 300m north. No injuries to the SMM members or damage to SMM assets was sustained.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations, including eight explosions and 16 shots, compared to the previous reporting period. Positioned in government-controlled Peredilske (24km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard two explosions assessed as the impacts of 82mm mortar rounds 10km south-west. Positioned in government-controlled Staryi Aidar (20km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard four undetermined explosions 10km south-west.

The SMM observed damage from shelling and corroborated reports of a civilian casualty. At a hospital in “DPR”-controlled Dokuchaievsk (30km south-west of Donetsk) a middle-aged man told the SMM that on the previous evening when working near a garbage collecting vehicle in the city, he had heard shooting and had sustained injury to his right thigh. A member of the medical staff told the SMM that emergency surgery had been performed and a bullet had been removed.

In Sarabash the SMM saw four fresh impact sites in a residential area. The SMM saw a hole (around 1m in diameter) on the south-eastern corner of the roof of a kindergarten building and about 35 shattered windows, damage to the chairs and desks inside the building. The SMM also observed four fresh craters in a playing field 100-200m south of a school building. The SMM saw two fresh craters on the ground 10m and 50m south of an agricultural barn. The SMM observed shrapnel damage to seven tractors parked around the barn and its shattered south-facing windows. The SMM saw three craters in a garden 10m east of a house, and its east-facing windows shattered. On 2 Komsomolska Street the SMM saw two fresh craters – one on a road 10m north of a house and another in an open field 10m south of a house. The SMM saw shrapnel damage to the houses, including broken windows facing both craters. Several residents told the SMM that they had heard shelling the previous night. During its observation a local media crew was filming the SMM.

In “LPR”-controlled Donetskyi (49km west of Luhansk), the SMM observed two impact sites. At 12 Milova Street the SMM saw a relatively fresh crater in the backyard of an inhabited house (about 3m south of the house), and assessed it as having been caused by an 82mm mortar round fired from a northerly direction. The SMM saw shrapnel damage on the north-east facing side of an outhouse 3m south-west of the crater. A resident (a middle-aged woman) told the SMM that the shelling had occurred on the night of 19 March but no one had been injured. On 6 Milova Street the SMM saw a hole in the backyard of a house (3m north of its main gate, and 8m north of the house). The SMM saw shrapnel damage to the north-facing parts of the gate and broken branches of bushes near the gate. The SMM was not able to determine the type of weapon used or direction of fire.

The SMM continued to monitor the disengagement process and to pursue full access to the disengagement areas of Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk), Zolote (60km west of Luhansk) and Petrivske (41km south of Donetsk), as foreseen in the Framework Decision of the Trilateral Contact Group relating to disengagement of forces and hardware of 21 September. The SMM’s access remained restricted but the Mission was able to partially monitor them.*

On the evening of 19 March the SMM camera in the Zolote disengagement area (60km west of Luhansk) recorded one burst of small-arms fire 1km east-south-east (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

During daylight hours on 21 March, positioned near the “LPR” checkpoint south of government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk), the SMM heard one undetermined explosion 2-3km north (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

During its observation in Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas the SMM noted a calm situation.

The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons, in implementation of the Package of Measures, its Addendum, and the Memorandum. [2]

In violation of the respective withdrawal lines the SMM saw one towed howitzer (D-20, 152mm) towed by a truck heading south in government-controlled Novoselydivka (38km west of Donetsk). An SMM mini-UAV spotted the presence of two towed howitzers (D-20, 152mm) and one self-propelled howitzer (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) near Aslanove, just before the SMM heard small-arms fire close to its position (see above).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside storage sites the SMM saw three stationary towed howitzers (2A65 Msta-B, 152mm) each loaded on a railway truck at the train station near government-controlled Rubizhne (84km north-west of Luhansk) and four stationary tanks (unidentified type) in a training area near “LPR”-controlled Uspenka (23km south-west of Luhansk).

The Mission revisited an “LPR” permanent storage site, whose location corresponded with the respective withdrawal lines. The SMM noted seven towed howitzers (D-30, 122mm) continued to be missing.

No side reported any response to previous SMM reports of weapons observed in violation of withdrawal lines or missing from storage sites.

The SMM also observed armoured combat vehicles [3] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV, BMD-2) loaded on a flatbed truck heading east in Popasna (69km west of Luhansk). An SMM mid-range UAV spotted one IFV (BMP-2) near Trokhizbenka (32km north-west of Luhansk). In non-government-control areas the SMM saw: one stationary armoured personnel carrier (APC, MT-LB) near Stare (formerly Chervonyi Prapor, 58km west of Luhansk) and one stationary APC (BTR-80) in Luhansk city.

In “LPR”-controlled Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, 50km west of Luhansk), the SMM observed a convoy of 32 military-type trucks heading south.

In government-controlled Soledar (79km north of Donetsk) both the Ukrainian and Russian representatives of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) told the SMM that they had facilitated a ceasefire in areas east and north-east of Mariupol, which had been achieved at 14:45 on 20 March, following a sharp deterioration in that area (See SMM Daily Report 21 March 2017). Both representatives also said that the sides had verbally agreed to hold the ceasefire in areas of “DPR”-controlled Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, 23km north-east of Mariupol) and government-controlled Vodiane (19km north-east of Mariupol) from 08:00 to 15:00 on 21 March, in order to enable the recovery of bodies. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations in this area during the time specified: positioned in government-controlled Hnutove (20km north-east of Mariupol) the SMM heard, within three minutes, ten bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire 3-4km east.

Positioned at an entry-exit checkpoint in “DPR”-controlled Olenivka (23km south-west of Donetsk) the SMM heard one undetermined explosion 2-5km in an unidentified direction. Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel at a checkpoint near government-controlled Berezove (31km south-west of Donetsk) and a border guard at a checkpoint in government-controlled Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk) separately told the SMM that demining activity was being conducted in the area between the two checkpoints.

The SMM monitored the situation of civilians living near the contact line. A resident (an elderly woman) told the SMM that there had been no power supply in “LPR”-controlled Obozne and Khrystove (both 18km north of Luhansk) since 18 March. In “LPR”-controlled Raivka (16km north-west of Luhansk) three female residents and an employee of a water pumping station separately said that electricity had been cut in the village due to damage caused by shelling on 18 March, but had been restored the previous day.

The SMM continued to monitor the blockade of railway routes across the contact line. In government-controlled Hirske (63km west of Luhansk) and Buhas (46km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM noted no changes and a calm situation.

The SMM continued to monitor a protest outside a branch of Sberbank of Russia on 46 Volodymyrska Street in Kyiv. (See SMM Daily Report 21 March 2017.) The SMM saw 12 young men in front of the bank and three tents and several flags with National Corps. The SMM followed up on reports of vandalism against a branch of the same bank on 15 Khmelnytskoho Street in Kramatorsk (government-controlled, 83km north of Donetsk). The SMM saw red paint splashed on the doors, walls and windows of the branch. Employees of the bank branch told the SMM that around 11:00 on 20 March a group of young people had arrived and started gluing posters to the windows, splashing red paint on the doors, wall and windows and bricking up the entrance. The SMM noted the branch was operational.

In Kyiv, the SMM followed up on reports of an incident at a centre that houses internally displaced persons (IDPs). The SMM saw one broken window and broken bricks on the building’s external walls. Ten IDPs and two men who introduced themselves as Anti-Terrorism Operation (ATO) veterans providing security for the centre told the SMM that on the morning of 20 March a group of men, some carrying baseball bats, had tried to forcibly enter the centre, resulting in an altercation with residents and ATO veterans. One veteran said that the group fled after he fired a warning shot from his hunting rifle.

On 20 March, in front of a building in Chernivtsi, where a round table on minority rights was to be held, the SMM saw a crowd of about 75 people (mostly middle-aged men), some wearing military-style clothes, encircling a man, who introduced himself as a head of the Institute for Western-Ukrainian Studies and one of the organizers of the round table. Several people in the crowd said that the man was undermining Ukrainian unity. About ten police officers were present. The SMM saw three officers attempt to lead the man away, but the crowd hindered them and let the man go only after officers had handcuffed him. A police officer present told the SMM that they had no order to arrest the man and the SMM assessed that the man did not resist being handcuffed.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, and Lviv.

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

The SMM’s monitoring and freedom of movement are restricted by security hazards and threats, including risks posed by mines, unexploded ordnance (UXO), 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. They have also agreed that the JCCC should contribute to such response and co-ordinate mine clearance.

Denial of access:

• At the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, a Ukrainian officer of the JCCC told the SMM that its safety could still not be guaranteed in the areas surrounding the main road due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. The SMM informed the JCCC.
• At an “LPR” checkpoint on the edge of the Zolote disengagement area, armed men told the SMM that its safety could still not be guaranteed in the fields and side roads due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. The SMM informed the JCCC.
• The SMM could still not travel south of the bridge in government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk) as Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel said there were mines on the road south of the bridge. The SMM informed the JCCC both times.
• On two separate occasions the presence of anti-tank obstacles and mine hazard signs on the road prevented the SMM from traveling between Katerynivka (64km west of Luhansk) and government-controlled Popasna. Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel present told the SMM that the road was mined and not safe for the SMM. The Mission informed the JCCC.
• The SMM was unable to travel west from “DPR”-controlled Petrivske due to a lack of security guarantees and the possible presence of mines. The Mission informed the JCCC.
• Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel again denied SMM access to a compound in government-controlled Donske (57km south of Donetsk) (see SMM Daily Report 20 February 2017). The Mission informed the JCCC.
• While conducting a flight of its mini-UAV in Aslanove, the SMM heard small-arms fire. The SMM immediately recalled the UAV and left the area. The Mission informed the JCCC.

Other impediments:

• On the evening of 19 March, the view of the SMM camera in Stanytsia Luhanska was obscured by the intermittent use of a searchlight from the “LPR”-controlled area and a laser light source from the government-controlled area.

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

[2] Despite the joint statement of 1 February by the Trilateral Contact Group and the consent reached on 15 February, the sides have not yet provided the baseline information requested by the SMM related to weapons to be withdrawn and locations of units and formations.

[3] This hardware is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.