Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 20 June 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

An armed man opened fire at and violently attacked the SMM in Yasynuvata. The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission confirmed that one elderly woman had been seriously injured by an explosion in Yasynuvata. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations near Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including in Pikuzy.* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines. An SMM unmanned aerial vehicle spotted, for the first time, the presence of 13 anti-tank mines near Pikuzy. The SMM observed long queues of civilians travelling across the contact line at Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. It continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to power lines between Almazna and Zolote. The Mission visited one border area not under government control. In Kyiv the SMM continued to observe a protest by supporters of the former Aidar battalion.

On 20 June, positioned at “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) railway station, two SMM patrols heard one burst of small-arms fire assessed as having been fired from the area of two men in military-style attire (one of them armed). The armed man then ran to one of the SMM vehicles and attempted to enter it and then to break its window with the gunstock of his assault rifle (AK-type). After his unsuccessful attempt to do either, the armed man ran after the other SMM vehicle and pointed his assault rifle at SMM members inside the vehicle. As the SMM was leaving the area, the armed man hit the rear right-side window of the vehicle with his gunstock, causing minor damage. The SMM then saw the man fire a burst of his assault rifle into the air, followed by three shots that the SMM assessed were fired at their patrol vehicles. No patrol vehicles were hit and the SMM safely returned to its base. (See Spot Report 20 June 2017.)

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], including about 80 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 100 explosions).

On the evening and night of 19-20 June the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, two rocket-assisted projectiles in flight from north-east to south-west, one airburst, one rocket-assisted projectile in flight from west to east (and one subsequent airburst), one tracer round in flight from west to east, one undermined explosion, one rocket-assisted projectile from east to west, followed by aggregated totals of 25 undetermined explosions, two airbursts, 22 rocket-assisted projectiles (12 from east to west and ten from west to east) and 568 tracer rounds in flight (307 from east to west, 220 from west to east and 41 in vertical flight), all at unknown distances north.

On the evening and night of 19-20 June the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, 29 explosions (one undetermined, 28 assessed as impacts of rounds of undetermined weapons) 4-5km east and south-south-east, one undetermined explosion 3-4km east-north-east, one projectile in flight from west to east and one explosion assessed as an impact 3-5km east-south-east. The following day the same camera recorded, in about 45 minutes in the late afternoon, 18 explosions assessed as impacts of rounds of undetermined weapons and seven airbursts, all 2-4km east-south-east.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including, however, more explosions (12), compared with the previous reporting period (seven explosions).

The SMM continued to follow up on reports of a civilian casualty. Medical staff in a hospital in Yasynuvata told the SMM that a female resident (aged in her eighties) of the village had been seriously injured by an explosion that had occurred at 74 Babushkina Street at about 15:40 on 19 June. They said she had been admitted with shrapnel wounds to her left shoulder, thigh and foot and was in the intensive care unit. The SMM later visited the house at the abovementioned address and saw a fresh crater 1m north-west of the stairs leading to the south-east-facing entrance door of the house, assessed as caused by an 82mm mortar round. The SMM also saw the door completely destroyed. Her neighbour (man, aged in his forties) at 72 Babushkina Street told the SMM that his 19-year-old daughter had heard an explosion at the house in the late afternoon of 19 June. The SMM was unable to access the 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 2016. The SMM’s access remained restricted but the Mission was able to partially monitor them.*

On the night of 18-19 June the SMM camera in government-controlled Zolote recorded, in sequence, one undetermined explosion, two projectiles in flight from north-west to south-east, two undetermined explosions and one projectile in flight from south-west to north-west, all 3-10km at directions ranging from east-north-east to east-south-east and assessed as outside the disengagement area.

On 20 June, positioned in “LPR”-controlled Pervomaisk (58km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard nine undetermined explosions 4km north-north-west, assessed as outside the Zolote disengagement area. 

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

In violation of the withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas, on 20 June the SMM saw eight multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) (BM-21 Grad, 122mm) near Khlibodarivka (65km south-west of Donetsk). An SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted three towed howitzers (D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm) near Kostiantynivka (60km north of Donetsk) on 18 June.

Beyond withdraw lines but outside designated storage sites, the SMM saw on 20 June in government-controlled areas: one self-propelled howitzer (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) near Pokrovsk (formerly Krasnoarmiisk, 55km north-west of Donetsk); one self-propelled anti-aircraft missile system (9K33 Osa) near Bakhmut (67km north of Donetsk); and ten self-propelled howitzers (2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm) near Zachativka (74km south-west of Donetsk). An SMM mid-range UAV spotted the presence of one probable towed howitzer (D20, 152mm) near Tymofiivka (36km north-west of Donetsk) on 19 June.

The SMM observed weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage does not comply with the criteria set in the 16 October 2015 notification. In government-controlled areas beyond the withdraw lines the SMM observed 12 towed howitzers (2A65 Msta-B, 152mm) and noted that 12 anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) and four mortars ((2B9 Vasilek, 82mm) were again absent. Four such sites continued to be abandoned.

The SMM observed an armoured combat vehicle and an anti-aircraft gun[2] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) towed by a military truck moving south and an armoured personnel carrier (BTR-80) moving east near Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk).

An SMM mini-UAV spotted, for the first time, the presence of 13 anti-tank mines on T-0519 road between Ukrainian Armed Forces and “DPR” checkpoints near “DPR”-controlled Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, 23km north-east of Mariupol) in two rows spaced approximately 50m apart on 20 June.

Satellite imagery available to the SMM as of 19 June showed that a training area near “DPR”-controlled Markyne (94km south of Donetsk), approximately 4km from the border with the Russian Federation, had been expanded with new trenches and new prepared equipment positions. Imagery revealed also the presence of six military-type trucks, vehicles and 28 unidentified pieces of equipment, as well as new craters.

The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs to essential infrastructure, co-ordinated by the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). Near “LPR”-controlled Pervomaisk on 20 June the SMM observed repairs to high voltage power lines between the Mykhailivka substation in an “LPR”-controlled part of Zolote and “LPR”-controlled Almazna (55km west of Luhansk).

The SMM continued to monitor the situation of civilians travelling across the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. On 20 June, at an “LPR” checkpoint south of the bridge, at 10:10 the SMM saw about 1,500 people queuing to travel toward government-controlled areas and about the same number of people queuing in the opposite direction. Approximately four hours later, the SMM saw about 1,100 people queuing to travel toward government-controlled areas and about 1,300 people queuing in the opposite direction. Six people (women aged between about 50 and 65 years old) separately told the SMM that they had been in a queue for three-four hours to cross at the “LPR” checkpoint and would need to wait for another two hours to cross the government checkpoint across the bridge.

The SMM visited one border area not under government control. At the border crossing point in Izvaryne (52km south-east of Luhansk), in about one hour the SMM observed about 150 civilian cars (most with Ukrainian licence plates), about 120 pedestrians and two buses with Ukrainian licence plates (carrying 40-50 passengers) in a queue to exit Ukraine. The SMM also observed a bus with Ukrainian licence plates, five civilian vehicles with Ukrainian licence plates and 15 pedestrians enter Ukraine.

The SMM continued to observe a protest by supporters of the former Aidar battalion in Kyiv. (See SMM Daily Report, 20 June 2017.) On Bankova Street the SMM saw a gathering of about 50 people (almost all men, aged between about 20 and 50 years old, three wearing military-style camouflage fatigues). The SMM, among them, recognized the former Aidar commander, a Member of Parliament. The SMM observed about 50 police and National Guard officers, about 30 of them wearing riot gear. The protest passed off peacefully.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Ivano-Frankivsk, 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; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations, including at the disengagement area near Petrivske.

Denial of access:

• Armed “LPR” members positioned on the southern side of the Zolote disengagement area (3km north of Pervomaisk) told the SMM that they could not guarantee the safety of the Mission on side roads due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.
• A Ukrainian officer of the JCCC told the SMM that no demining had taken place over the previous 24 hours in the Zolote disengagement area. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed. The JCCC was informed.
• 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 government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk) as Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel said the road south of the bridge was still mined. The SMM informed the JCCC.
• An armed “LPR” member denied the SMM access to the customs zone at the border crossing point in Izvaryne, stating that the SMM was not permitted to enter the zone following orders from senior “LPR” members. The SMM informed the JCCC.
• The SMM could not travel on T-0519 road between Ukrainian Armed Forces and “DPR” checkpoints near Pikuzy due to the presence of mines, despite prior notification from the JCCC that the mines had been removed. The SMM informed the JCCC and requested it follow up.
• On 20 June, positioned at the Yasynuvata (“DPR”-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk) railway station, two SMM patrols heard one burst of small-arms fire assessed as having been fired from the area of two men in military-style attire (one of them armed). The armed man then ran to one of the SMM vehicles and attempted to enter it and then to break its window with the gunstock of his assault rifle (AK-type). After his unsuccessful attempt to do either, the armed man ran after other SMM vehicle and pointed his assault rifle at SMM members in the vehicle. As the SMM was leaving the area, the armed man hit the rear right-side window of the vehicle with his gunstock, causing minor damage. The SMM then saw the man fire a burst of his assault rifle into the air, followed by three shots that the SMM assessed were fired at their patrol vehicles. No patrol vehicles were hit and the SMM safely returned to its base. The SMM informed the JCCC and requested it follow up (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.