Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 7 June 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

In Donetsk region the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations compared with the previous reporting period. In Luhansk region the flare-up in ceasefire violations recorded by the SMM in the previous reporting period continued in the same areas – Sentianivka, Krymske and Zholobok – west and north-west of Luhansk, and involved multiple launch rocket systems. The use of weapons proscribed by the Minsk agreements reached a level last recorded by the Mission on 23 March 2017. The SMM heard small-arms fire close to where it was flying an unmanned aerial vehicle near Zaichenko. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area on the night of 6-7 June and near the Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* In “DPR”-controlled Oleksandrivske armed men aggressively restricted the SMM’s freedom of movement. The Mission continued for the second day to monitor demining and facilitate repairs at Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM monitored a border area not under government control in Novoazovsk. It observed protests in Kyiv and Odessa and a gathering involving religious communities in Ivano-Frankivsk.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, including more explosions (about 250), compared with 80 in the previous reporting period.[1]

On the evening and night of 6-7 June the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, three undetermined explosions, two projectiles in flight from south to north, and one from south-east to north-west, all 4-6km east-south-east. Late in the morning of 7 June the camera recorded an undetermined explosion and, late in the afternoon, it recorded 30 undetermined explosions and five airbursts, all 4-6km at directions ranging from east to south-south-east.

On the night of 6-7 June the SMM camera at the “DPR”-controlled Oktiabr mine (9km north-west of Donetsk city centre) recorded, in sequence, 20 tracer rounds in flight from east to west, five tracer rounds from west to east and five undetermined explosions, all 6-8km north-east. On the afternoon of 7 June the same camera recorded six undetermined explosions: three 7-9km and three 10-12km north-east.

On 7 June, positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for about five hours, the SMM heard about 90 shots and 30 bursts of small-arms fire 1-3km west and north-west and undetermined explosions: seven 2-3km north-west and west, 25 8-10km north-west, one  0.5-1km north and three 0.5-1km south. On the evening of 6 June, while in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk), in about an hour, the SMM heard 35 undetermined explosions 5-8km south-west.

On the evening and night of 6-7 June, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 80 undetermined explosions at distances ranging from 3-12km at directions ranging from north-east to south-south-east,18 explosions assessed as outgoing fire from infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1 and BMP-2) cannon (73 and 30mm, respectively): seven 3-5km east-south-east, five 1-2km south and six 5-8km east, as well as several sequences of uncountable, overlapping bursts and shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire.

On the evening and night of 6-7 June the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, two airbursts, two tracer rounds in flight from west to east, and 13 tracer rounds from east to west, continuing with totals of 35 tracer rounds in flight from west to east and about 120 tracer rounds from east to west, as well as three explosions assessed as impacts, all at undetermined distances north-north-east and east-north-east.

Positioned 1km north-west of government-controlled Pyshchevyk (25km north-east of Mariupol) on 7 June, the SMM heard 13 undetermined explosions at unknown distances at directions ranging from south-east to south-south-west and ten undetermined explosions 3-5km north.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded for the second consecutive day a high number of ceasefire violations, including about 490 explosions compared with 600 in the previous reporting period, most of which occurred in the areas of Sentianivka, Krymske and Zholobok.

On the night of 5 June the SMM camera in government-controlled Zolote (60km west of Luhansk) recorded, in sequence, outgoing fire in flight from north-east to south-west assessed as 18 rockets from at least one multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) (possibly BM-21 Grad, 122mm) 6km east of the camera; two explosions assessed as outgoing recoilless gun (SPG-9) rounds 5.5km east; two undetermined explosions: one 7-10km east-south-east and one 5-7km east-north-east; and an airburst, assessed as an artillery or mortar round about 4km east. All ceasefire violations were assessed as having occurred outside the disengagement area.

On 7 June, positioned on the northern edge of “LPR”-controlled Pervomaisk (58km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard about 120 undetermined explosions 8km north-east, 30 explosions assessed as 82mm mortar rounds and 30 shots of IFV (BMP-2) cannon fire 5km north-east, and four undetermined explosions 10km north-east, all assessed as outside the Zolote disengagement area.

On the night of 6-7 June, the SMM camera in government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk) recorded, in sequence, a projectile in flight from south-south-west to north, 1.2km south of the camera; two undetermined explosions 1.5km and 1km south; a flare in flight from north-west to south-east 0.8km south; an explosion assessed as impact 1.7km south-south-east and another undetermined explosion 1.5km south. All ceasefire violations were assessed as having occurred inside the disengagement area. On 7 June, positioned inside the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska the SMM heard an undetermined explosion 10km north-west, assessed as having occurred outside the disengagement area.

While in “LPR”-controlled Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, 50km west of Luhansk) on the morning of 7 June the SMM heard 13 undetermined explosions at unknown distances and directions and three explosions assessed as impacts at a distance of 3km at an undetermined direction. Positioned near government-controlled Toshkivka (60km north-west of Luhansk) the SMM heard five explosions assessed as impacts of artillery fire 6-8km south-east, 13 explosions assessed as artillery fire 8-10km south-east and four explosions assessed as outgoing IFV (BMP-1) cannon fire 500-700m north-east.

Positioned 1km north-west of government-controlled Ustynivka (62km north-west of Luhansk) the SMM heard what it assessed as an outgoing MLRS salvo (ten rockets) 5-7km south-south-west. Positioned 4km south of government-controlled Muratove (51km north-west of Luhansk) in the afternoon hours of 7 June, the SMM heard what it assessed as a salvo of MLRS (30 rockets) fire and seven undetermined explosions 7-10km south, 50 explosions assessed as outgoing artillery rounds and ten as impacts of artillery rounds 10-15km south-south-east and south-west, and two explosions assessed as impacts of artillery rounds 5-6km north.

On the same day, positioned about 1.5km north-east of government-controlled Orikhove (57km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 15 explosions assessed as outgoing 120mm mortar rounds 5-7km east, eight explosions assessed as impacts of 152mm artillery rounds: four 3-5km east and four 5-7km south. While at the north-eastern edge of the village, the SMM heard seven explosions assessed as impacts of 152mm artillery rounds 7-9km east. Positioned at the north-western edge of the village, the SMM heard five explosions assessed as impacts of 152mm artillery rounds: three 5-7km east, one 6-8km south and one 3-5km north-east.

Positioned at the western edge of government-controlled Zolote-2 (60km west of Luhansk) the SMM heard 52 explosions assessed as impacts of artillery or  mortar (120mm) fire 10-12km east-south-east, five outgoing salvos, in 15 seconds, of MLRS rockets (two rockets each) and two explosions assessed as impacts of 152mm artillery rounds 6-8km east. Positioned in the eastern edge of government-controlled Hirske (63km west of Luhansk) the SMM heard five outgoing salvos of MLRS (ten rockets each) fire and ten undetermined explosions 10km east-north-east.

Positioned 2km east of government-controlled Dmytrivka (43km north of Luhansk) the SMM heard 22 explosions assessed as outgoing fire: 11 from IFV (BMP-1) cannon and 11 from recoilless guns (SPG-9) 2km north-east, assessed as a live-fire exercise outside the security zone.

The SMM informed the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) of the ceasefire violations near “LPR”-controlled Sentianivka (formerly Frunze, 44km west of Luhansk) and nearby areas. Both sides of the JCCC told the SMM they had made several attempts to facilitate a ceasefire throughout the day, but the violations did not stop in the reporting period.

The SMM heard small-arms fire near its mini unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The SMM was flying a mini-UAV over an area about 3km north-east of “DPR”-controlled Zaichenko (26km north-east of Mariupol). At 12:14, despite prior notification to the JCCC for the UAV flight, the SMM heard five to six shots of small-arms fire about 1km south of the SMM’s position – in the area where the UAV was flying. The SMM immediately decided to land the UAV and leave when, one minute later, it heard another five to six shots of small-arms fire followed by another five to six such shots from the same direction, but assessed as at a closer distance to the SMM as the patrol members heard the bullet cracks above their position. The SMM immediately moved about 400m south-west, landed the UAV and left the area. No injuries to the SMM or damage to its assets were sustained.*

An armed man stopped the SMM from proceeding to “DPR”-controlled Oleksandrivske (formerly Rozy Liuksemburh, 90km south-east of Donetsk) citing training activities in the area. The SMM moved 100m east of the checkpoint in the direction of “DPR”-controlled Markyne (94km south of Donetsk). Ten minutes later two armed men approached the SMM in a civilian car and ordered it to move further away from the checkpoint. One of them – with a black-and-white patch on his shoulder that had an image of skull and crossbones and read in Cyrillic “General Baklanov’s Volunteer Unit” – shouted at the SMM in an unknown language (neither Russian nor Ukrainian) and then the vehicle left in an easterly direction. Fifteen minutes later the SMM decided to leave when a grey VW transporter van with at least five armed men inside overtook the SMM and gestured it to stop. At the same time, two more vans – a white Gazelle and a black VW transporter with sheets of paper in the front windshield reading “ATC” in Cyrillic – with seven and three armed men respectively, stopped alongside the SMM vehicles. A large bus stopped behind and another three vans stopped in front of the SMM vehicles, blocking the road. None of the seven vehicles had licence plates. None of the armed men addressed the SMM. One of them took pictures of the SMM vehicles and patrol members. At least four others pulled up balaclavas or hoods to hide their faces. After 20 minutes another vehicle with “police” markings on the side approached the SMM. An armed man asked to see the SMM’s patrol plan. The SMM declined to do so and explained the Mission’s mandate. The armed man then made a phone call and, after telling the SMM that they were “released”, the “police” vehicle escorted the SMM to “DPR”-controlled Novoazovsk (101km south-east of Donetsk). At the E-58 junction in Novoazovsk, he demanded that the SMM return to base.

The SMM observed damage caused by gunfire to a civilian apartment building in “DPR”-controlled Dokuchaievsk (30km south-west of Donetsk). A Russian officer of the JCCC led the SMM to 102 Lenina Street in Dokuchaievsk. He showed the SMM, from the street, a strike mark on the outside of a south-west facing balcony on the third floor of an apartment building. The SMM assessed the strike mark to be fresh and consistent with a 12.7mm heavy-machine-gun round fired from a south-westerly direction. A resident was unwilling to allow the SMM into the apartment.

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 observed ceasefire violations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area on the night of 6-7 June and ceasefire violations, including MLRS fire, near the Zolote disengagement area. (See above.)

The SMM continued to monitor withdrawal of weapons, in implementation of the Package of Measures and its Addendum, as well as the Memorandum.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles and an anti-aircraft gun[2] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas the SMM saw two armoured personnel carriers (APC) (one BTR-4 and one BRDM) stationary near Makarove (19km north-east of Luhansk) two APCs (BTR-80) heading west near Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk) and three IFVs (BMP variant) stationary near Popasna (69km west of Luhansk), all on 6 June. On 7 June the SMM saw an APC (BTR-4) driving east in Orlivka (22km north-west of Donetsk), an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23-2) mounted on a military truck near Shchastia, an APC (BRDM-2) heading south and a truck with a trailer carrying artillery ammunition boxes near Kapitanove (49km north-west of Luhansk), as well as an IFV (BMP-1) near Makarove.

In areas not under government control the SMM saw an IFV (BMP-1) and two other armoured combat vehicles (type unknown) near Dovhe (22km north-west of Luhansk), and about ten APCs (BTR-70) in a convoy of about 50 vehicles east of Oleksandrivsk (10km west of Luhansk). About 3km north-east of Zaichenko the SMM saw fresh tracks of armoured combat vehicles, heading west. Aerial imagery available to the SMM revealed on 6 June the probable presence of an armoured combat vehicle near Sakhanka (24km north-east of Mariupol).

The SMM continued to observe the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and noted demining activity. On 6 June the SMM saw a team from an international organization conduct demining at a cemetery in government-controlled Krasna Talivka (51km north-east of Luhansk).

On 7 June, about 1km south-west of “LPR”-controlled Dovhe the SMM observed seven anti-tank mines on the grass 1m from the road. The SMM also saw protective equipment for deminers and two metal detectors, as well as two mine hazard signs on the ground nearby. An armed man present told the SMM that they were conducting demining activities in the area.

In “DPR”-controlled Debaltseve (58km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM saw, as previously noted, a mine hazard sign 150m north of a hospital. Ten metres south of the building, the SMM saw, for the first time, an MLRS rocket sticking out from the ground and the tail motor of an MLRS (BM-21 Grad) rocket sticking out from the concrete about 60m north of the first rocket and about 70m from the building.

On the H-20 road in Yasynuvata the SMM monitored and facilitated demining activities, co-ordinated by the JCCC, in order to facilitate repairs to water pipelines near the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk). (See SMM Daily Report 7 June.) The SMM saw a Ukrainian Armed Forces demining team and a “DPR” demining team separately working on the easternmost lane of the H20 highway to then proceed to the area of the filtration station. Afterwards the SMM saw staff of a water supply company conduct repairs to pipelines near the filtration station. The Mission heard several ceasefire violations which stopped after the intervention of the JCCC. At noon, the manager of the station told the SMM that the work had been completed and that operations had been resumed. The SMM confirmed this.

In government-controlled Pavlopil (26km north-east of Mariupol), an officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a resident separately told the SMM that water supply had resumed in the morning of 7 June after interruption due to shelling damage to water pipelines on 5 June.

The SMM monitored a border area not under government control. During fifteen minutes at the border crossing point near Novoazovsk (101km south-east of Donetsk), the Mission observed 24 trucks with trailers containing wheat and sunflower seeds in a queue to leave Ukraine. One of the drivers told the SMM that they had to wait about 24 hours to cross the border. The Mission did not observe any cars enter or leave Ukraine during its stay.

The SMM observed protests in Kyiv and Odessa and a gathering involving religious communities in Ivano-Frankivsk. In Kyiv the SMM observed a gathering in front of the Parliament building near Mariinskyi Park. The SMM saw about 2,500 people present (30-60 years old, 60 per cent men). Many of them carried flags of the Agricultural Party of Ukraine and flags of the Tribunal political party. Speakers spoke against plans to privatize agricultural land. Some of the protesters also partially blocked one side of Hrushevskoho Street beside the Parliament, close to a cordon of police officers. The SMM observed about 500 police and National Guard officers present, about one-third of them wearing riot gear. There were also 12 police buses parked nearby, with officers also wearing riot gear, two ambulances and one fire truck. The SMM did not observe any security-related incident while present.

Elsewhere in Kyiv the SMM observed a smaller gathering in front of the Cabinet of Ministers building on Hrushevskoho Street. The SMM saw about 200 people present (20-60 years old, mostly men), 20 of them were holding Ukrop Party flags. The protesters were calling on the Government to address the ecological situation in Zhytomyr, Rivne and Khmelnytskyi regions. There were 15 police officers and five National Guard officers guarding the front of the building. The protest ended peacefully.

In Odessa the SMM followed up on media reports that members of the organization “We are Ukraine” – known to the SMM to consist of ATO veterans – had a confrontation with police during their protest at the Odessa commercial court of appeals. The SMM observed that police had blocked traffic on Shevchenko Boulevard for 500m on either side of the court. Outside the building the SMM saw a police bus and 60 riot police officers lined in a formation in front of the gate. A notice announcing the closure of the court was posted on the fence. Across the street the SMM observed 15 men (between 20 and 45 years old), ten of whom wore “We are Ukraine” T-shirts. In front of the court were 30 tyres, a Ukrainian flag and a sound system with two loud speakers. An activist said that they were protesting against a village council decision not to allocate land to ATO veterans but the police had denied them access to the court and used tear gas against them. The SMM saw the activists later leave the area and the police allowing resumption of traffic. 

On 6 June the SMM monitored a gathering of about 70 people at the city council building in Kolomyia in Ivano-Frankivsk region. City authorities had organized the gathering to establish a working group to reduce tensions following events involving members of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) and Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) on 4 June. (See SMM Daily Report 5 June 2017.) Representatives of both religious communities were present, along with city council members, Right Sector members, media representatives and community members. About ten police officers were present. The Mission noted that the discussion involved frequent interruptions of speakers and the use of derogatory terms. The gathering ended with a proposal by the deputy mayor of Kolomyia who was chairing the meeting to continue the following day. Afterward, members of the UGCC and UOC (about 20 people each, both men and women, aged 40-70) again held services in the premises of the church where they had gathered on 4 June. Twelve police officers were present. While present, the Mission did not observe any incidents. City police later told the SMM that the services had ended peacefully.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Lviv, Kharkiv, 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, 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. The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations.

Denial of access:

• A Ukrainian officer of the JCCC told the SMM that no demining activities had taken place during the previous 24 hours in the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and that, with the exception of the main road, the SMM’s safety could not be guaranteed in the surrounding areas due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.
• The SMM could not travel across the bridge in Shchastia as Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel said there were mines on the road south of the bridge. The SMM informed the JCCC.

-Armed men denied the SMM access to “DPR-controlled Sidove (106km south of Donetsk), citing orders from senior “DPR” members.

-In “DPR”-controlled Yasne (30km south-west of Donetsk) an armed man denied the SMM further access to the village. (See also below.)

Conditional access:

           -In Yasne two armed men in a civilian car approached the SMM while it was speaking with residents. One of the armed men told the SMM that it had to show them its patrol plan in order to proceed freely in Yasne. The                    SMM declined to do so and the armed man said he had to call his superior. One hour later four armed men arrived in a van and one of them reiterated the request to see the SMM patrol plan. The SMM again explained its              mandate and one of the armed men said he allowed the SMM to continue to speak with the residents in the area but that the SMM could not proceed further into the village. All six armed men remained present 50m from                the SMM until its departure half an hour later.

-An armed man in a military uniform with no insignia, who introduced himself as the commander of a Ukrainian Armed Forces battalion, prevented the SMM passage at a checkpoint to government-controlled Taramchuk (29km south-west of Donetsk) saying that demining activities were taking place. The SMM informed the JCCC. About 45 minutes later the SMM was allowed to proceed, but it was led by the commander to the residential areas. He remained present while the SMM was talking with residents. After another 45 minutes a Ukrainian officer of the JCCC told the SMM that the demining activities were interrupted for the SMM to patrol in the area.

Other impediments:

-The SMM was not able to conduct planned UAV flights near government-controlled Bobrove (56km north-west of Luhansk) and Muratove due to ongoing ceasefire violations in the area. The SMM informed the JCCC.

-The SMM heard small-arms fire close to an SMM UAV in Zaichenko (see above).

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