Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 4 July 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, although fewer explosions, in Donetsk region, and fewer ceasefire violations overall in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Luhansk city and Bakhmut, and observed damage to civilian properties due to gunfire in Yasynuvata. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas and observed a calm situation. The SMM’s access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The Mission monitored weapons on both sides of the contact line and observed weapons in violation. It observed the restoration of water in Avdiivka and continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Mykhailivka-Almazna high-voltage power lines and water wells near Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. The SMM followed up on an incident at a Jewish centre in Lviv. The Mission saw long queues at the administrative boundary line between Kherson and Crimea.

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations[1], including, however, fewer explosions (about 124), compared with the previous 24 hours (about 150 explosions).

On the evening and night of 3-4 July, while in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city centre, the SMM heard one undetermined explosion 10-15km north, seven bursts of small-arms fire 1-1.5km north, and 23 undetermined explosions 5-10km west.

On the evening and night of 3-4 July the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, two projectiles in flight from north to south, one undetermined explosion, 13 tracers from south-east to north-west, three undetermined explosions, 19 tracers from west to east, and three undetermined explosions, all 3-7km east-south-east, south-east and south. The following day, positioned in Avdiivka, the SMM heard 16 undetermined explosions and 16 bursts of outgoing heavy-machine-gun fire, 2-5km east and east-south-east.

On 4 July, positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM heard seven undetermined explosions 2-6km north, west, and north-west.

Positioned 2.5km west of government-controlled Novoselivka Druha (23km north of Donetsk), the SMM heard one explosion assessed as an outgoing tank round 8km south-west, one outgoing explosion of an unknown weapon and two undetermined explosions 6-8km south, and six undetermined explosions 4km north-east.

On the evening and night of 3-4 July, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 18 undetermined explosions, three bursts of automatic-grenade-launcher fire, 60 bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, 4-10km north-east, east, south, south-west and west. The following morning and day, the SMM heard 25 undetermined explosions, two explosions assessed as outgoing artillery (152mm) rounds 5-6km east, four explosions assessed as impacts of unknown weapons, and over 40 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 5-8km east.  

On the night of 3-4 July the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in total, 20 undetermined explosions, nearly 700 tracer rounds in flight (474 from east to west, 176 from west to east, nine from south-west to north-east, three from south to north, and 40 in vertical flight), 44 rocket-assisted projectiles (26 from east to west, ten from west to east, three from south-east to north-west, three from south to north, and two from south-west to north-east), five illumination flares and one airburst, all at unknown distances north.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including about 15 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours (80 explosions).

On the evening and night of 3-4 July, while in government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 14 explosions assessed as mortar (type unknown) rounds, four bursts of either automatic-grenade-launcher fire (AGS-30, 30mm) or infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-2) cannon (30mm) fire 3-6km south-east.

The SMM continued to follow up on reports of civilian casualties and damage to civilian properties in residential areas caused by shelling.

In Luhansk city, the SMM visited a children’s hospital and spoke with the mother of an 11-year-old boy. She told the SMM that on 3 July her son had been playing near a shooting range close to their house in the south-eastern part of Luhansk city and that he had picked something up off of the ground. She said it exploded in his hand and that on 3 July, he had undergone an operation. Medical staff at the hospital told the SMM that the boy had surgery on his abdomen and was in stable condition.

The SMM visited a hospital in government-controlled Bakhmut (formerly Artemivsk, 67km north of Donetsk) and spoke with a woman (19 years old) who said that she had been walking with her husband (25 years old) near railway tracks, where they had found what appeared to be a metal pipe about 15cm long with a wire wrapped around it. She said her husband had taken it with them to their house, where he had attempted to disassemble it, when she heard a loud explosion from the other room. The woman said she had called an ambulance and that her husband had received injuries to his chest, face and hands and that she suffered hearing problems. Medical staff at the hospital told the SMM that the woman and a 25-year-old man had been admitted on 2 July and were treated for injuries related to an explosion. The police in Bakhmut told the SMM that an investigation into the incident was ongoing.

In Yasynuvata, the SMM was led by a Russian Federation officer of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) and a “DPR” member to an apartment building on Hoholia Street 22. The SMM saw a 2.5cm hole in the window of the balcony and a 5cm hole in the window of the living room in an apartment on the third floor of the building. A woman (in her sixties) told the SMM that she was a resident of the property and had heard small-arms fire around 19:45 on 3 July. The SMM assessed that the holes were caused by 12.7mm rounds.

At the same location, another man (in his twenties) and a woman (in her forties) showed the SMM damage to a garage located 10m south-east of the apartment building. The SMM saw a hole on the west-south-west side of the garage, which it assessed to be caused by a 12.7mm bullet fired from a west-south-westerly direction.

On 4 July, the SMM conducted a mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight near the site where it lost contact with another mini-UAV on 3 July. The SMM located a mini-UAV that it assessed was the same one lost the day before. The SMM notified the JCCC and requested that it facilitate recovery. (See SMM Daily Report 4 July.) 

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.*

While present in Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote, and government-controlled Bohdanivka (41km south-west of Donetsk), west of the Petrivske disengagement area, the SMM observed a calm situation. The SMM remained unable to access its camera in “DPR”-controlled Petrivske (41km south of Donetsk) due to security considerations.

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

In violation of withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas, an SMM mini-UAV flight revealed one probable multiple launch rocket system (9P140 Uragan, 220mm) in a vehicle revetment and under camouflage netting near Myroliubivka (46km north-west of Donetsk).

In violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas, the SMM saw a modified tank (T-64), fitted with hardware for demining near Nikishyne (60km north-east of Donetsk). A “DPR” demining team told the SMM that the tank would be used for demining in the area for another month.

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites, an SMM mini-UAV flight revealed eight towed howitzers (2A36, Giatsint, 152mm) and five self-propelled howitzers (three 2S19 Msta-S, 152mm; one 2S7, Pion,152mm; and one 2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) near Myroliubivka.

The SMM observed armoured combat and engineering vehicles[2] in the security zone in non-government-controlled areas. On 30 June, an SMM mid-range UAV flight in the area of “LPR”-controlled Stepove (27km west of Luhansk) revealed two engineering machines (trench diggers, PZM-3 and MDK-3) along with many shallow, short trench segments.

Aerial imagery revealed the presence, on 2 July, of seven armoured combat vehicles (ACV) near “DPR”-controlled Boikivske (formerly Telmanove, 67km south-east of Donetsk) and 11 ACVs and over 50 military trucks near “DPR”-controlled Kalmiuske (formerly Komsomolske, 42km south-east of Donetsk).

The SMM saw that 12 anti-tank mines previously observed between “LPR”-controlled Pervomaisk (58km west of Luhansk) and government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk) were no longer there. (See SMM Daily Report 26 June.)

The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs to essential infrastructure, co-ordinated by the JCCC. The SMM observed 34 workers carrying out ongoing repairs to the high-voltage Mykhailivka-Almazna power line near Pervomaisk. The SMM also monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair work of water wells by Popasna Vodakanal in government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska area.

The SMM continued to follow up on the water situation in Avdiivka. Following repairs, monitored and facilitated, by the SMM in the area of Avdiivka and Yasynuvata on 1 and 2 July, a woman (in her seventies) told the SMM that on 3 July, she had tap water available in her apartment in Avdiivka. (See SMM Daily Report 3 July.) At a local shop, the SMM also observed the presence of both water and electricity. At a water distribution centre where it had previously seen queues of people collecting water, the SMM did not observe any queues. A Ukrainian officer of the JCCC told the SMM that water supply had resumed in Avdiivka since 16:30 on 3 July from the Donetsk Filtration Station, but that additional repairs in the area were still necessary.

The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. At the border crossing point in Verkhnoharasymivka (57km south-east of Luhansk), for over 60 minutes, the SMM observed 12 people entering Ukraine and 16 people exiting.

At the Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk) border crossing area, for over 50 minutes, the SMM observed 12 civilian cars (five with Russian Federation licence plates, three with Ukrainian licence plates and four with “DPR” plates), seven covered cargo trucks (two with Russian Federation licence plates, three with Ukrainian licence plates and two with Belarusian licence plates) and one fuel tanker (”DPR” plates) exit Ukraine. The SMM did not see any vehicles entering Ukraine.

In response to “DPR” members repeatedly impeding the SMM’s freedom of movement near “DPR”-controlled Novoazovsk (40km east of Mariupol) and requests from the SMM that the JCCC assist to ensure SMM safe and secure passage, a Russian Federation officer of the JCCC in Bezimenne told the SMM that the JCCC could not remedy the situation.

On 4 July the SMM followed up on reports of incidents in Lviv. The SMM spoke with the director of the Lviv region Jewish Welfare Fund “Hesed-Arie” who said that a Molotov cocktail had been thrown at the wall of the synagogue at 4 Brativ Mikhnovskykh Street in the early hours of 30 June. He also said that on 1 July anti-Semitic graffiti was written on the wall of a building belonging to the Jewish community at 12 Sholom-Aleikhema Street. On 4 July the SMM saw the wall had been spray-painted with graffiti in white paint. The local police confirmed to the SMM the details of the two incidents and said that they were both under investigation.

The SMM monitored the administrative boundary line between Kherson and Crimea. On 2 July, the SMM visited three crossing points along the administrative boundary line between Kherson and Crimea. At the crossing points near Chonhar (162km south-east of Kherson), Chaplynka (77km south-east of Kherson) and Kalanchak (67km south-east of Kherson), the SMM noted long queues of cars (97 civilian cars in Chonhar, 37 in Chaplynka and 49 in Kalanchak). The SMM spoke separately with shift commanders at each crossing point who said that the process had been unusually slow for vehicles over the last two days, with two-four hour delays; however, according to them, pedestrian crossing had remained unaffected.

On 3 July near Chaplynka the SMM saw one self-propelled air-defence missile system.

The SMM continued monitoring in Odessa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi and Kyiv.

*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, including at the disengagement area near Petrivske.

Denial of access:

Related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• 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.
• Armed “LPR” members positioned on the southern side of the Zolote disengagement area (3km north of Pervomaisk) told the SMM that 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.
• At a checkpoint on the northern edge of the Zolote disengagement area a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that no de-mining had taken place over the previous 24 hours and that, due to the possible presence of mines and/or UXO, they could not guarantee the SMM’s safety. 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 as Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel said there were mines on the road south of the bridge. The SMM informed the JCCC.

Delay:

• At a “DPR”-controlled checkpoint about 1.3km south-east of “DPR”-controlled Prymorske (39km north-east of Mariupol) armed “DPR” members delayed the SMM for 23 minutes. The SMM informed the JCCC.

Other impediments:

• For the second day in a row, the SMM was followed by a car with civilian plates throughout its patrolling in areas outside the control of the Government for nearly three hours. On 3 July, the car began following the SMM near “DPR”-controlled Zaichenko (93km south of Donetsk) and on 4 July, the car began following the SMM near “DPR”-controlled Bezimenne (100km south of Donetsk). There were two men dressed in camouflage in the car who told the SMM on 3 July that they were “DPR” members. On 4 July, the same men followed the SMM. On both days, the vehicle stopped following the SMM when it crossed into an entry-exit checkpoint near “DPR”-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske (formerly Oktiabr, 85km south of Donetsk). 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] This hardware is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.