Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 23 March 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The security situation deteriorated along the contact line. The SMM recorded a sharp increase in the number of ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Yasynuvata and Donetsk city and observed damage to civilian houses and other infrastructure on both sides of the contact line. The Mission monitored the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, but its access there and elsewhere remained restricted.* The Mission faced restrictions of its freedom of movement in other areas too, including by armed men south of Donetsk city.* The SMM monitored a border area currently not controlled by the Government. The blockade of railway routes across the contact line in Hirske and Bakhmut continued. In Kharkiv region the SMM monitored the situation following a fire at an ammunition warehouse. In Kyiv the SMM followed up on reports that a former member of Russia’s parliament had been shot dead. The SMM monitored protests in Kyiv and Lviv.

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded a sharp increase in the number of ceasefire violations,[1] including about 1,530 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (475 explosions). About 60 per cent of these explosions were recorded in the Svitlodarsk-Debaltseve area in the early afternoon on 23 March.

On the night of 22-23 March, while in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city centre the SMM heard nine undetermined explosions 6-9km north. The following day, positioned at the “DPR”-controlled Donetsk railway station (6km north-west of Donetsk city centre) for about three hours, the SMM heard one explosion assessed as the impact of a mortar round 5-7km north-west and 66 undetermined explosions, most at locations 3-6km ranging from west to north.

On the night of 22-23 March, the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded three undetermined explosions and eight projectiles in flight (in sequence, three from north to south, one south to north, four north to south), all 5-7km east-south-east. During the day on 23 March, positioned in Avdiivka for about five hours, the Mission heard 25 undetermined explosions 2-3km east-south-east and south-east. Positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for five and a half hours, the SMM heard almost 100 undetermined explosions, as well as bursts and shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire at locations 2-7km, ranging from west to north. In the afternoon, the SMM camera in Avdiivka recorded about 120 undetermined explosions 2-4km east-south-east and south-east.

During the day on 23 March, positioned about 3km north-east of “DPR”-controlled Debaltseve (58km north-east) for three hours, the SMM heard and saw one explosion assessed as the impact of a round from an undetermined weapon 3-5km north-west, and heard about 900 undetermined explosions, most 10-15km north-east.

On the evening of 22 March the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded 120 undetermined explosions and 16 tracer rounds (in sequence: ten in flight from east to west and six from west to east), all at unknown distances to the north. After midnight, the camera recorded, in sequence, three tracer rounds in flight from south-west to north-east, two tracer rounds from south-south-east to north-north-west, one undetermined explosion, and 32 tracer rounds from east to west.

During the day on 23 March, positioned at two locations in government-controlled Lebedynske (16km north-east of Mariupol) the SMM heard 17 explosions assessed as outgoing rounds from undetermined weapons, most 3-5km north and east-north-east, as well as 40 undetermined explosions, most at unknown distances to the north, north-north-east, and east-south-east. Positioned 2km south-east of government-controlled Lomakyne (15km north-east of Mariupol) the SMM heard 22 undetermined explosions at unknown distances north-north-east, east-south-east, and north-north-west.

In Luhansk region, too, the SMM recorded a sharp increase in the number of ceasefire violations, including about 3,600 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period. More than 2,000 of these explosions, including about 1,500 assessed as artillery and mortar rounds, were recorded in the western parts of the region during the daytime on 23 March.

Positioned near the “LPR” checkpoint south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge for four hours on 23 March, the SMM heard at least 100 undetermined explosions 20km north-west. Positioned in “LPR”-controlled Oleksandrivsk (10km west of Luhansk) the SMM heard, within one hour, at least 100 undetermined explosions 10km west.

The SMM heard, within one hour, at least 300 undetermined explosions assessed as artillery rounds 20-30km north-north-west of “LPR”-controlled Hovorukha (17km west of Luhansk). The Mission also heard 20 undetermined explosions 10km west-north-west and north-west of “LPR”-controlled Novohryhorivka (33km west of Luhansk). Positioned at the southern edge of “LPR”-controlled Kalynove (60km west of Luhansk) for about 90 minutes, the SMM heard more than 300 undetermined explosions 10km north-west.

Positioned in “LPR”-controlled Znamianka (36km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard within two hours more than 200 undetermined explosions 10km north and west. The SMM heard, within ten minutes, more than 50 explosions assessed as artillery rounds 20km north and ten explosions assessed as impacts of rounds from unknown weapons 10km north-north-west of “LPR”-controlled Zhovte (17km north-west of Luhansk). Positioned in “LPR”-controlled Kruta Hora (16km north-west of Luhansk) the SMM heard more than 300 undetermined explosions 20km north.

Positioned in “LPR”-controlled Berdianka (45km west of Luhansk) for less than one hour, the SMM heard at least 100 undetermined explosions 5-10km north-west and north-north-west. The SMM heard 30 explosions assessed as artillery rounds 20km north-north-west of “LPR”-controlled Sabivka (13km west of Luhansk). While in “LPR”-controlled Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, 50km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard at least 120 explosions assessed as fire from multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) and other artillery 8-30km north-west and north-north-west.

While in government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk), the SMM heard 22 undetermined explosions 10-15km north-west. Ten minutes later the SMM heard more than 500 explosions assessed as artillery and mortar fire 10-15km west. Positioned in “LPR”-controlled areas south of Shchastia the SMM heard one explosion assessed as the impact of a 120mm mortar round, 1.5km north. 

Positioned in government-controlled Peredilske (24km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard at least 500 explosions assessed as artillery and mortar fire 10-15km west, and five explosions  assessed as impacts of artillery rounds 2-3km west. The SMM heard, within half an hour, more than 300 explosions assessed as artillery fire 25km north-north-west of “LPR”-controlled Komyshuvakha (25km south-west of Luhansk). 

Positioned in “LPR”-controlled Khoroshe (36km west of Luhansk) the SMM heard more than 200 undetermined explosions 10km west-north-west. Positioned 2.5km west of government-controlled Raihorodka (34km north-west of Luhansk) the SMM heard more than 300 undetermined explosions 10-15km west. Positioned 2.5km west of government-controlled Dmytrivka (43km north of Luhansk) the SMM heard 30 undetermined explosions 10km south-west.

Positioned in “LPR”-controlled Uspenka (23km south-west of Luhansk) the SMM heard four explosions assessed as outgoing artillery rounds and 28 assessed as tank fire 1km west-north-west, assessed as a live-fire exercise. The SMM saw seven tanks in a training area near Uspenka. (See below.)

The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties and damage to houses and other infrastructure. At a hospital in Yasynuvata the SMM saw a woman in her sixties with a wound to her left shin. The woman said that she had been hit by a bullet in the morning of 23 March while on the roof at 49 Shiroka Street in “DPR”-controlled Kruta Balka (16km north of Donetsk).

Medical staff in Hospital 17 in Donetsk city told the SMM that a 23-year-old woman had been admitted to the hospital on 22 March with shrapnel injuries. The patient’s husband said that she had been injured by shrapnel caused by an explosion that had occurred seven metres from their house in the Kyivskyi district of Donetsk city (5km north-west of the city centre), where his wife and their three-month-old infant were. He added that the infant had not been injured.

The SMM, accompanied by a Russian officer of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), later visited the Kyivskyi district. In the area the SMM assessed four impact sites. At 17 Zhelyabov Street the SMM saw a hole at the edge of the road, six metres north of the house and a small amount of shrapnel. Three windows were broken. The SMM assessed the impact as caused by a wire-guided anti-tank missile (type unknown) fired from a north-westerly direction. A neighbour (man, in his forties) said that he saw the owner carrying his wife towards the house. At 2 Polska Street the SMM saw a fresh impact site on the roof of the inhabited house, which it assessed as caused by fire from a north-westerly direction. The SMM saw ordnance imbedded in the roof. The SMM saw a damaged gas pipe outside the house. In the backyard of a house at 7 Polska Street the SMM saw a fresh impact site and two 30mm unexploded grenades fired from an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-2) from a north-westerly direction. One had penetrated a north-facing wall of the house and the other the west- and south-facing walls of a wooden shed 6m north of the house, impacting on the ground. At 6 Polska Street the SMM observed the tail of a rocket, probably from an MLRS (BM-21 Grad, 122mm), its front part buried in the ground at the base of the western wall of the house. A neighbour said it had been there since 2014.

At the Donetsk Water Filtration Station the SMM saw damage to the water purification building, which according to the Voda Donbasa water company employees was caused by impacts on 18 March. The SMM observed a hole in the south-east-facing wall and a row of broken windows, facing the same direction, as well as a 1-2m wide hole in the roof of the building. Aerial surveillance imagery available to the SMM revealed 11 fresh impact sites 400m south-south-east of the filtration station.

On 22 March following a report by the JCCC, the SMM assessed four impact sites in government-controlled Zaitseve (62km north-east of Donetsk). At 16 Sportyvna Street the SMM saw four broken windows. A warehouse 5m south-east of the house was destroyed. The SMM could not assess the type of weapon or the direction of fire. The neighbouring house at 14 Sportyvna Street had sustained minor damage to the roof. The SMM saw shrapnel in front of the houses. Four female residents said that they had heard two strong explosions, four seconds apart, at 01:20 on 22 March. The SMM noted that buildings on Sportyvna Street had no electricity. Three gas company technicians were repairing two holes in a gas pipeline 15m from the impact site. The residents said they were unaware of any military positions in the vicinity. At 43 Zarechna Street, the SMM assessed a fresh impact site about 10m north of a one-story house. Two east-facing windows as well as a west-facing wall and a window were cracked. Two wooden boards supporting the roof of a storage house 5m from the house were broken. The SMM saw damaged power lines 100m away and noticed that the house had no electricity. Another impact site was in a field about 150m from the nearest civilian building, on the northern outskirts of Zaitseve. The SMM saw freshly broken tree branches. At 24a Veterinarna Street the SMM saw a fresh impact site in the backyard of an abandoned building. Six south-facing windows were completely shattered. Two windows of a neighbouring house were also shattered. The SMM saw shrapnel nearby and assessed the damage as caused by 152mm artillery round.

In “LPR”-controlled Znamianka (35km north-west of Luhansk) an armed “LPR” member showed the SMM four impact sites near 35 and 37 Zhukova Street. One fresh crater was around 10m west of a small water pumping facility and about 25m north of the houses. The Mission assessed the impact as caused by a 120mm mortar, fired from a northerly direction. The SMM could still observe some white smoke and smelled phosphorous. The SMM saw two fresh impacts on two trees nearby. The Mission assessed one of the impacts – on a tree around 7m north of 37 Zhukova Street and 15m east of the water pumping facility as caused by a 120mm mortar round fired from a northerly direction. A power cable beside the tree had been cut by shrapnel. The SMM saw employees of a power company repairing a nearby power line. A fourth fresh impact site was 7m south-east of 37 Zhukova Street and 20m south-west of 35 Zhukova Street. The SMM assessed the impact as caused by a 120mm mortar round fired from a northerly direction. The north wall of an outhouse in the garden of the house had been damaged. The SMM noted broken windows on both houses.  

The SMM followed up on reports by residents that a bridge in an area of Zolote-4, between the forward positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and “LPR” armed formations, had been blown up on the evening of 22 March. (See SMM Daily Report 20 March 2017). About 22 civilians, as well as police officers, two personnel from a police bomb disposal unit in uniforms, Ukrainian officers of the JCCC as well as a fire brigade were present at the site. The SMM observed that half of the small bridge was destroyed. Residents said that they had heard a single explosion in the direction of the bridge. The SMM assessed that the damage was likely caused by explosive devices detonated on or near the bridge’s concrete supports. The SMM observed a construction crane approach the area.

On 22 March, at two separate locations in fields 6km north of Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk) an SMM mini- unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted numerous traces of self-propelled howitzers and their empty shell casings. The SMM assessed the traces as artillery firing positions orienting south-south-east. The UAV also spotted at least 20 relatively fresh craters nearby, which were assessed as having been caused by mortar rounds.

Aerial imagery revealed 15 fresh impact sites east of “DPR”-controlled Sakhanka (24km east of Mariupol). 

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.*

The SMM camera in Stanytsia Luhanska recorded, in the evening hours of 21 March, one undetermined explosion 350m south-south-east, assessed as outside the disengagement area, one flash 1.7km south-south-west and two flares from south-south-east to north-north-west, 1.1km south of the camera’s location, assessed as inside the disengagement area.

The SMM camera in government-controlled Zolote recorded, on the evening of 21 March, two explosions assessed as outgoing rounds of undetermined weapons and two projectiles in flight from south-west to north-east, 2-3km east, outside the disengagement area. Positioned in Zolote-3, the SMM heard four undetermined explosions 5-7km west, also assessed as outside the disengagement area.

Positioned in Petrivske the SMM heard three undetermined explosions 10-15km north-west, assessed as outside the disengagement area.

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 withdrawal lines the SMM saw an anti-tank missile system (9K114 Shturm, 130mm) mounted on an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (MT-LB) near government-controlled Vrubivka (71km north-west of Luhansk) heading south, and an MLRS (BM-21) mounted on a flatbed in government-controlled Rubizhne (85km north-west of Luhansk)

Aerial imagery revealed the presence of a tank in “LPR”-controlled Khriashchivka (22km east of Luhansk) in violation of the respective withdrawal lines. 

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside storage sites an SMM mini-UAV spotted, on 21 March, in government-controlled areas, six tanks near Yakovlivka (83km north of Donetsk) and two surface-to-air missile systems (9K33 Osa, 210mm) near Pidhorodne (73km north of Donetsk).

In non-government-controlled areas the SMM saw seven tanks (T-64) in a training area near Uspenka.* (See above section on ceasefire violations.)

The SMM observed weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage does not comply with the criteria set out in the 16 October 2015 notification. In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw 14 towed howitzers (2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm). Eighteen towed howitzers (2A36) were again missing, while three were missing for the first time.

The SMM revisited a Ukrainian Armed Forces permanent storage site, the location of which corresponded with the withdrawal lines and noted that 44 tanks (T-64), seven towed howitzers (D-44, 85mm), 14 mortars (2B9 Vasilyok, 82mm) and one mortar (2B11 Sani, 120mm) were again missing. Two tanks (T-64) and one mortar (2B11) were observed missing for the first time. The SMM noted an additional weapon present for the first time.

Near “LPR”-controlled Molodizhne (63km north-west of Luhansk) the SMM saw an unidentified UAV flying north-east at an altitude of about 300m, in a zone where, according to the Memorandum of 19 September 2014, the flight of combat aviation and foreign UAVs, except UAVs used by the SMM, is forbidden.

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 an anti-aircraft gun and armoured combat vehicles[3] in the security zone. In non-government-controlled areas, the SMM saw a stationary APC (MT-LB) mounted with an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23) near recently damaged houses in Znamianka (See above section on damage to civilian infrastructure). In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw one IFV (BMP-1) near Novozvanivka (70km west of Luhansk) and two APCs (MT-LB) near Vrubivka (71km north-west of Luhansk) moving south.

The SMM observed mine clearance on the road between government-controlled Stepne and Berezove (29 and 31km south-west of Donetsk, respectively). The SMM saw a team of sappers trying to remove an MLRS rocket that was stuck in the ground at the edge of the road. About 1km north of a government checkpoint in Berezove the SMM saw nine anti-tank mines (TM-62M) without fuses by the side of the road. Two Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers said they were part of an engineering unit that had been conducting controlled demolition of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and mines in the area. They added that the mines would be detonated.

In “LPR”-controlled areas south of government-controlled Shchastia the SMM observed four anti-tank mines blocking the south-bound lane of the road, as well as an additional one, seen for the first time, at the edge of the road.

The SMM monitored a border area currently not controlled by the Government. At the border crossing point in Dovzhanskyi (85km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM observed 26 passenger cars (most with Ukrainian licence plates) queuing to leave Ukraine. During 90 minutes, the SMM saw 14 passenger cars, one truck (cargo not visible) and one bus leave Ukraine and nine heavy-loaded trucks with covered cargo area, with Ukrainian licence plates, and six passenger cars enter Ukraine.

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

At the train station in Horlivka, the SMM saw more than 200 wagons filled with coal, stationary on rails. A “DPR” member said that, due to the blockade, trains were not transporting coal to government-controlled areas.

In Kharkiv the SMM followed up on reports of a fire at an ammunition supply warehouse located in Balakliia (74km south-east of Kharkiv). Representatives of the Ministry of Defence and regional department of the State Emergency Service said that at 02:45 on 23 March fire of undetermined origin had broken out in several parts of a military base where the warehouse was located, causing the detonation of stored ammunition. They added that they planned to evacuate the 50,000 inhabitants of the city of Balakliia. The Kharkiv regional police office said that 300 police officers were sent to the evacuated area while the evacuation of the civilian population was ongoing.  

In Kyiv, the Mission followed up on media reports that a former member of the Russian parliament had been shot dead outside a hotel on Taras Shevchenko Boulevard. The area outside the hotel had been cordoned off and about 12 police officers and 12 people in civilian clothes were present. The SMM saw a body in a body bag. About 50 journalists were also present. The head of the National Police stated that several pistol shots had been fired at the victim and that his bodyguard as well as the perpetrator had been wounded in the process. He added that the police had started an investigation. The Prosecutor General’s Office issued a statement saying that the perpetrator had died in the hospital.

In Kyiv the Mission also monitored the continuation of a protest outside a branch of Sberbank and noted a similar situation as on the previous day (see SMM Daily Report 23 March 2017).

In Lviv the SMM monitored demonstrations related to waste management in the city. The Mission saw a gathering of about 50 people (mostly men, aged 18-40) in front of the city council building. The protesters accused the mayor of inaction with regard to waste-disposal problems. After the protest ended peacefully, a second protest, involving about 200 people (all men) took place. Participants gave speeches holding regional and national authorities accountable for the environmental impact of poor waste management. The protesters dispersed peacefully. The SMM observed 20-30 police officers present in the area during both protests.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Dnipro 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 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.
• An armed “LPR” member aggressively demanded the SMM to turn back. The SMM was travelling towards an area of summer houses south-west of an “LPR” checkpoint south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. 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 was again 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.
• 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 again informed the JCCC.
• 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 permission from higher-level authorities was needed. The Mission again informed the JCCC.
• At Ozelenyuvachiv Street in Petrovskiy district (15km south-west of Donetsk city centre), a man in camouflage clothing came out of a house, stood in front of the SMM vehicles and gestured for them to turn around. He re-entered the yard of the house, and within a few moments returned together with five other men in camouflage clothing carrying, all carrying AK-variant rifles. The first man closed a red-and-white striped boom barrier 4m in front of the first SMM vehicle, and then joined the other men who had lined up shoulder-to-shoulder, less than 2m from the first SMM vehicle, holding their rifles with both hands, fingers over the triggers. Another armed man, who introduced himself as the commander approached the second patrol vehicle. The SMM heard the second individual chamber the round in his rifle as he approached. The commander said that the SMM was prohibited from continuing further as he could not guarantee the SMM’s safety and security. The SMM informed the JCCC.
• Two armed “LPR” members denied SMM access to the training area near “LPR”-controlled Uspenka, citing permission from senior members. While present the SMM heard ceasefire violations. The SMM informed the JCCC.

[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.