Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 22 March 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. It corroborated a report of a civilian casualty in Yasynuvata. The Mission monitored the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, but its access there and elsewhere remained restricted.* The SMM noted long queues at entry-exit checkpoints in Stanytsia Luhanska, Olenivka, Berezove and Novotroitske. It monitored a border area currently not controlled by the Government. The Mission continued to monitor the blockade of railway routes across the contact line. The SMM monitored protests outside banks in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia, and followed up reports of vandalism against a bank in Ternopil.

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations,[1] including about 475 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period.

On the night of 21-22 March the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded five illumination flares and one projectile, all in flight from east to west 4-6km east-south-east of the camera. On the morning of 22 March, positioned in Avdiivka, the Mission heard four undetermined explosions, as well as heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, 1-4km south-east. In the afternoon the SMM camera recorded 86 undetermined explosions and four airbursts, all 4-6km east-south-east.

During the day on 22 March, positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard five undetermined explosions and five minutes of intense small-arms fire, all 1-5km west-south-west and west.

On the night of 21-22 March, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 78 undetermined explosions (of which 71 were 3-6km west and seven were 4-6km south-east) and 56 bursts of small-arms fire 3-6km south-east and south-west.

The same night, while in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM heard 39 explosions assessed as impacts of artillery rounds 5-8km north-east and, over two hours later, 39 undetermined explosions 10-12km north-east.

On the evening of 21 March, while 3km south-east of government-controlled Volnovakha (53km south of Donetsk), the SMM heard 45 undetermined explosions at undetermined distances east-south-east.

On the night of 21-22 March the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, two undetermined explosions, 17 tracer rounds in flight from west to east, one undetermined explosion, one rocket-assisted projectile from west to east, two explosions (assessed as one outgoing round of an undetermined weapon at an unknown distance west followed by the round’s impact at an unknown distance east), and an exchange of 97 tracer rounds in flight (87 from west to east and ten from east to west). All – except for the outgoing round and its impact – were at unknown distances north-east. In the early evening of 22 March, the camera recorded eight explosions assessed as impacts of 120mm mortar or 122mm artillery rounds 6-7km north.

On the morning of 22 March, while in government-controlled Mariupol (102km south of Donetsk), the SMM heard at least 20 undetermined explosions at undetermined distances to the east.

The same morning, positioned 3km north-west of government-controlled Lebedynske (16km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM heard at least 100 explosions (assessed as at least 50 outgoing rounds of undetermined weapons and their subsequent impacts) at undetermined distances east-south-east, four undetermined explosions at undetermined distances east, and heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire 2-5km east. Positioned in Lebedynske, the SMM heard 30 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire 4km east-north-east.

Positioned 3km north-east of government-controlled Hnutove (20km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM heard 25 undetermined explosions at unknown distances in directions ranging from north to north-east. The SMM also heard four explosions assessed as outgoing mortar rounds 2-3km east-south-east.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including 145 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period. On the evening of 21 March, while in “LPR”-controlled Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, 50km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 12 undetermined explosions 4-10km at westerly directions. The same evening, while in government-controlled Sievierodonetsk (74km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 14 undetermined explosions 20km south-south-east.

On 22 March, positioned near “LPR”-controlled Uspenka (23km south-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 10-15 explosions assessed as outgoing artillery rounds and six explosions assessed as outgoing tank (T-64) rounds, as well as heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 2-5km north-north-west. Positioned near “LPR”-controlled Kruhlyk (31km south-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 11 explosions assessed as artillery rounds 7km north. Positioned in “LPR”-controlled Shterivka (39km south-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard five explosions assessed as artillery rounds 12-13km north-north-west. The Mission assessed all the violations in these areas as part of live-fire exercises, and it observed tanks in the areas near Uspenka and Kruhlyk (see below).

The SMM corroborated a report, received from the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), of a civilian casualty. In a hospital in Yasynuvata, a young man told the SMM he had more than ten wounds on his body, all caused by shrapnel that hospital staff had already removed. He said that a projectile had exploded 7m away from him at 14:30 on 21 March outside his house at 10 Pryvokzalna Street in Donetsk city. A medic at the hospital confirmed that the man had sustained shrapnel wounds.

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 2016. The SMM’s access remained restricted but the Mission was able to partially monitor them.*

On 22 March, near an “LPR” checkpoint south of government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska, inside the disengagement area, the SMM saw for the first time a remnant of a recoilless gun (SPG-9, 73mm) round lying by the road and remnants of three rocket-propelled grenades lodged in a north-facing slope. An armed “LPR” member told the SMM that the round and grenades had exploded on impact, and the remnants would be removed later in the day.

Later in the morning, positioned near the checkpoint, the SMM heard one undetermined explosion 5km north-east, assessed as outside the disengagement area.

On 22 March, positioned on the southern edge of the disengagement area near government-controlled Zolote, the SMM heard 35 undetermined explosions and 60 shots of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 10km north-east and assessed as outside the disengagement area. Positioned in government-controlled Katerynivka (64km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 25 explosions assessed as artillery rounds 10km south-east and 14 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire 2km south-west, all assessed as outside the disengagement area.

Positioned about 2km north-east of government-controlled Bohdanivka (41km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM heard two undetermined explosions at unknown distances, one south-south-east and one north-north-east, both assessed as outside the disengagement area near “DPR”-controlled Petrivske.

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

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside storage sites in non-government-controlled areas the SMM saw four tanks (T-64) in a training area near Uspenka and seven tanks (four T-64 and three T-72) in a training area near Kruhlyk. In government-controlled areas the SMM saw a tank (T-64) on a flatbed trailer heading north near Velyka Novosilka (74km south-west of Donetsk); two surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems (9K35 Strela-10, 120mm) 1.5km north-west of Artemivske (71km north of Donetsk), travelling north-west; two SAM systems (9K33 Osa, 210mm) about 2km south-west of Dibrova (85km north of Donetsk) travelling south-east; and one SAM system (9K33) 1km south-east of Mykhailivka (37km north-west of Donetsk), heading north-west.

No side reported any response to previous SMM reports of weapons observed in violation of withdrawal lines or missing from storage sites. Nor did the JCCC report any contribution to the ceasefire in this regard.

The SMM also observed anti-aircraft guns and an armoured combat vehicle,[3] and heard an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw seven anti-aircraft guns (ZU-23-2, 23mm): one mounted on a truck near Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk), three towed by trucks (two moving north-east and one stationary) near Raihorodka (34km north-west of Luhansk), one mounted on a truck moving east near Plotyna (28km north-east of Luhansk), and two towed by trucks heading south-east near Heivka (27km north-west of Luhansk). In non-government-controlled areas, the SMM saw one infantry fighting vehicle (BMP-2) near Pionerske (19km east of Luhansk).

Aerial imagery revealed the presence on 22 March of two armoured vehicles near government-controlled Sartana (15km north-east of Mariupol) and five armoured vehicles near “DPR”-controlled Yasne (30km south-west of Donetsk).

About 4km west of government-controlled Chermalyk (31km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM heard an engine assessed as that of a UAV at an undetermined distance to the north or north-north-east. Two Ukrainian Armed Forces officers in the area told the SMM that a unit was flying a UAV near government-controlled Novoselivka (37km north-east of Mariupol).

The SMM again noted long queues at entry-exit checkpoints. At the government checkpoint north of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the SMM observed about 450 people queuing to enter government-controlled areas, and about 800 people queuing in the opposite direction. At an “LPR” checkpoint south of the bridge, the SMM observed about 1,500 people queuing to walk toward government-controlled areas and about 50 people queuing in the opposite direction. A line of cars waiting to reach the parking lot near the checkpoint stretched for about 700 metres, and the SMM estimated that about 1,000 people were waiting in the cars. Near the checkpoint the SMM saw workers building a container with an air conditioner in preparation for the summer. The foreman told the SMM that the container should be finished by 1 April and that the construction materials were paid for by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

At an entry-exit checkpoint near “DPR”-controlled Olenivka (25km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM observed over 400 vehicles in a queue to travel to government-controlled areas and about 80 in a queue to travel in the opposite direction. At an entry-exit checkpoint near government-controlled Berezove (31km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM observed 160 vehicles and 500-600 pedestrians in queues to travel to government-controlled areas and about 80 vehicles in a queue to travel in the opposite direction. At an entry-exit checkpoint near government-controlled Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM observed about 20 vehicles and 300 pedestrians in queues to travel to government-controlled areas and about 80 vehicles and 200 pedestrians in a queue to travel in the opposite direction. About 70 people were waiting outside a bank office in a container near the checkpoint. Several of them told the Mission they had travelled to government-controlled areas due to an approaching deadline for physical identification by the bank in order for them to continue receiving their pensions and social benefits. (See SMM Daily Report 14 March 2017.)

The SMM monitored a border area currently not controlled by the Government. During 90 minutes at a border crossing point near Izvaryne (52km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM observed 109 private vehicles (61 with Ukrainian, 42 with Russian Federation, and one with Lithuanian licence plates) and 37 trucks with covered cargo areas (17 with Ukrainian, 11 with Russian Federation and seven with Belarusian licence plates; two with “LPR” plates) in queues to exit Ukraine. One bus with Ukrainian licence plates exited Ukraine.

The SMM continued to monitor the blockade of railway routes across the contact line. In government-controlled Hirske (63km west of Luhansk), Bakhmut (67km north-east of Donetsk) and Buhas (46km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM noted no changes and a calm situation.

The SMM monitored protests outside bank branches. It continued to monitor a protest outside a branch of Sberbank of Russia on 46 Volodymyrska Street in Kyiv. (See SMM Daily Report 22 March 2017.) The SMM saw five young men in front of the bank and three tents and several flags of the National Corps. The bank’s entrance remained bricked up, and sandbags and barbed wire blocked one driveway. The SMM monitored a protest outside a branch of the same bank at 7 Verkhnia Street in Zaporizhzhia (70km south of Dnipro). The Mission saw nine men (20-30 years old), five of whom were wearing black military-style clothes. Access to the building was obstructed by concrete blocks, and a banner with the National Corps logo covered one of the gates. Flyers in blue, red and white referring to the bank as an “aggressor state bank” were posted on the building’s fencing and gates. Over the course of an hour at the site the SMM did not see any people exit or enter the building. No police officers were present.

The SMM followed up on reports of vandalism against a branch of the same bank at 1 Kniazia Ostrozkoho Street in Ternopil (134km north-east of Ivano-Frankivsk). The SMM saw on 21 March that the bank’s entrance was not blocked, and its windows were clean.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, Kharkiv and Chernivtsi.

*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 possible presence of mines and UXO prevented the SMM from travelling further south-east into the Zolote disengagement area from Katerynivka. The SMM 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 again informed the JCCC.
• A Ukrainian officer of the JCCC told the SMM that the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not control the road from Bohdanivka to Viktorivka (42km southwest of Donetsk) and thus could not ensure security for the SMM to travel, adding that anti-tank mines were still present on the road to Petrivske via Viktorivka. The SMM again informed the JCCC headquarters.
• The SMM still could 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.
• 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 (69km west of Luhansk). Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel present told the SMM that the road was mined and not safe for the SMM. The Mission again informed the JCCC.
• The SMM could not travel from “LPR”-controlled Pionerske (19km east of Luhansk) to “LPR”-controlled Khriashchivka (22km east of Luhansk) due to the presence of three holes in the road with concrete blocks behind them. Armed “LPR” members were present at the location. Later in the morning, the SMM could not travel from Khriashchivka to Pionerske due to a trench dug in the road. No “LPR” members were present.
• A Ukrainian officer of the JCCC denied the SMM entry to the JCCC building in government-controlled Maksymilianivka (30km west of Donetsk) and referred the SMM to the JCCC headquarters.

Other impediments:

• On 21 March at a checkpoint in Donetsk city, an armed “DPR” member stopped the SMM and opened the back door of an SMM vehicle. After one minute, the SMM was allowed to continue.

[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. 

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

[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.