Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 11 July 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. At a government checkpoint near Novotoshkivske, the Mission observed a bullet hole in a Ukrainian Armed Forces vehicle that may have been caused by gunfire shortly beforehand. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Donetsk and Luhansk cities and observed damage from shelling in Zolote-4. It continued monitoring the disengagement areas; the Mission’s access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including Mineralne.* The SMM recorded ceasefire violations in the Zolote disengagement area. It continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Mykhailivka-Almazna high-voltage power lines near Pervomaisk. The SMM visited two border areas not under government control in Donetsk region. In Kyiv the Mission followed up on reports of an incident at a café and monitored four protests.

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations,[1] including about 100 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 140 explosions).

On the night of 10-11 July, while in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city centre, the SMM heard ten undetermined explosions 8-10km west-north-west.

On the evening of 10 July the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, 15 tracer rounds in flight from south to north, one undetermined explosion, one projectile in flight from south-east to north-west, 15 tracer rounds from south to north, one undetermined explosion, ten tracer rounds from south to north, three tracer rounds from south-east to north-west, five tracer rounds from north to south, and one projectile from east to west, all 4-5km east-south-east.

On 11 July, positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard two undetermined explosions and six bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, as well as over 40 bursts and five shots of small-arms fire, all 3-6km south-west and west-south-west.

Positioned 1km north-west of government-controlled Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM heard eight undetermined explosions 3-7km north-east and four explosions (three outgoing rounds and one impact) 1-2km east.

On the night of 10 July, while in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard six explosions assessed as impacts of 82mm mortar rounds and almost 60 bursts of small-arms fire, all 2-4km west.

On the evening and night of 10-11 July, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard over 60 undetermined explosions, over 60 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire and almost 60 shots of small-arms fire, all 3-10km south-east, south and south-west.

On the night of 10-11 July the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence – and all in flight from east to west – two rocket-assisted projectiles, eight tracer rounds, two rocket-assisted projectiles, and almost 40 tracer rounds, all at unknown distances north.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including about 30 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 320 explosions).

On the night of 10 July, while in government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard, in about half an hour, 18 explosions assessed as mortar rounds (17 outgoing and one undetermined) 7-10km at directions ranging from north to east, as well as five undetermined explosions and heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, mostly 3-10km at similar directions.

On the morning of 11 July, positioned in “LPR”-controlled Sentianivka (formerly Frunze, 44km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard nine explosions assessed as mortar rounds (seven outgoing and two impacts) and 12 bursts of small-arms fire, all 3-4km north-west. In the afternoon, positioned near “LPR”-controlled Kalynove (60km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard one undetermined explosion 5km south-south-west.

While approaching a checkpoint east of government-controlled Novotoshkivske (53km west of Luhansk), the SMM saw a vehicle 60m behind it carrying three to four Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel. Shortly afterward, the Mission observed scattered pieces of glass on the road near the vehicle. When departing the checkpoint the Mission observed a bullet hole in the windscreen of the vehicle, which no longer carried any passengers. The SMM had not heard any shot fired. The Mission saw soldiers taking cover beside the road and pointing at the empty vehicle. On a road leading north, the SMM saw four Ukrainian Armed Forces vehicles and an ambulance travelling rapidly toward the checkpoint.

The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties and observed damage from shelling in a residential area. Accompanied by a Russian Federation officer of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), the SMM visited Kalinina Hospital in Donetsk city to follow up on media reports of civilian casualties from shelling in the Trudivskyi area of Petrovskyi district (15km south-west of Donetsk city centre). At the hospital, medical staff told the SMM that a man (aged 63) had been admitted shortly before midnight on 10 July with shrapnel wounds to his left chest and shoulder but had been discharged prior to the Mission’s arrival. A physician also said a woman (aged 50) had been admitted around the same time with shrapnel injuries to her forehead and temple but that the SMM could not see or speak to her without approval from “superiors”, on the instruction of a senior “DPR” member.

Accompanied by a Russian Federation officer of the JCCC, the SMM visited Luhansk Regional Hospital to follow up on information – received from “LPR” members and a Russian Federation officer of the JCCC – of casualties from two explosions recorded in Luhansk city on 7 July. (See SMM Daily Report 8 July 2017.) A medical staff member at the hospital told the SMM that two women and two “LPR” members (both male) were admitted on 7 July as a result of the incident, and that another “LPR” member (male) had requested assistance but was not hospitalized. As of 11 July, the staff member said, three people (two of the women and one of the men) were still in the hospital. The interlocutor told the SMM that information regarding the report of a death from the explosions could be checked at a forensic examination office located in the Children’s Hospital building in Luhansk city. The interlocutor made a telephone call and told the SMM that a person at the forensic examination office had said that there had been a corpse but it was no longer present, and that further information would not be given without permission from certain “LPR” members. The Mission contacted the indicated “LPR” members, who said the Mission needed to send a written request to other “LPR” members and the Russian Federation representation to the JCCC.*

On 10 July, in government-controlled Zolote-4 (60km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM followed up on ceasefire violations recorded on the night of 9-10 July by the Mission in Popasna, “LPR”-controlled Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, 50km west of Luhansk) and government-controlled Zolote (via SMM camera). (See SMM Daily Report 11 July 2017 and disengagement area section below.)

At six houses on Oktiabrska Street, the SMM saw the following fresh damage, assessed as  caused by impacts of under-barrel grenade-launcher rounds: at no. 6, four small shrapnel holes in an east-south-east-facing window of a house, and holes and broken sections of the roof of a wooden outbuilding; at no. 18, shrapnel holes on an east-facing roof and two craters on the nearby street, one of which contained grenade fragments and was assessed as caused by a round fired from a south-easterly direction; at no. 21, a crater in a garden and a crater on the nearby street that contained grenade fragments and was assessed as caused by a round fired from a south-easterly direction; at no. 22, holes and cracks on the roof of an outbuilding and scarring on the surface of the east-facing roof of a house; at no. 25, a crater in a garden with small shrapnel holes through a fence, damage to a kennel, and shrapnel holes in a metal pot; and at no. 26, a small shrapnel hole in a west-facing window, shrapnel damage on a west-facing wall and shrapnel damage on an outdoor wooden structure.

Five residents of these properties (mostly women of various ages) separately told the Mission that shelling had occurred between 22:00 and 03:00 on the night of 10-11 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.*

On the night of 9-10 July, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded, in sequence, one rocket-assisted projectile in flight from north to south, three undetermined explosions, five tracer rounds in flight from north to south, three tracer rounds from north-west to south-east, one undetermined explosion, nine tracer rounds from north-west to south-east, five bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, 11 tracer rounds from north-west to south-east, two airbursts, seven tracer rounds from south-east to north-west, one rocket-assisted projectile from north to south, two airbursts, one projectile from south to north, five undetermined explosions, one airburst, one projectile from north-west to south-east, one projectile from north to south (assessed as passing through disengagement area), one undetermined explosion, three bursts of tracer rounds from north-west to south-east, 28 tracer rounds from north-west to south-east, one projectile from south-east to north-west, one projectile from north to south, and 32 tracer rounds from north-west to south-east, all 3-5km at easterly directions, followed by, in sequence, nine tracer rounds from north-west to south-east 2km east, four undetermined explosions 4-6km south-east, and one burst of heavy-machine-gun fire 2.2km south-east (assessed as inside the disengagement area). (All violations were assessed as outside the disengagement area, unless otherwise noted.)

On 10 July, near a government checkpoint north of the Zolote disengagement area, the SMM saw for the first time at least four expended smoke grenades scattered on the road.

On 11 July, the SMM observed an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-2) outside the disengagement area north of the bridge to government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles and an anti-aircraft gun,[2] as well as other indications of military-type presence, in the security zone. In government-controlled areas the SMM saw, on 10 July, three armoured personnel carriers (APCs) (BRDM-2) near Novotoshkivske, and, on 11 July, an APC (BTR-80) travelling north near Nyzhnoteple (26km north of Luhansk) and an IFV (BMP-2) in Stanytsia Luhanska (see above).

On 10 July, SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) spotted: an IFV (BMP-1), along with two recently used artillery firing positions and heavy vehicle tracks, near Chermalyk (77km south of Donetsk); recently expanded mortar firing positions, recent heavy vehicle tracks, about 22 anti-tank mines (TM-62) in a field, and a fresh artillery impact crater near a vehicle revetment in government-controlled areas near Mykolaivka (70km south of Donetsk); and two IFVs (BMP-1), heavy vehicle tracks, and at least six fresh artillery impact craters near Muratove (51km north-west of Luhansk).

In non-government-controlled areas, the SMM saw an APC (BTR-70) travelling north near Slovianoserbsk (28km north-west of Luhansk) and a convoy consisting of two IFVs (one BMP-1, one BMD-variant), an APC (BTR-80), a truck with a mounted anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23), three logistical trucks, six trucks with persons in military-style clothing, and several other vehicles with persons in military-style clothing travelling east near Zaichenko (26km north-east of Mariupol).

The SMM saw fire and smoke at a training area near Sofiivka (formerly Karlo-Marksove, 40km north-east of Donetsk) but did not see any people or equipment present.

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs, co-ordinated by the JCCC, to the high voltage Mykhailivka-Almazna power line near Pervomaisk. (See SMM Daily Report 11 July 2017.)

The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. During just over half an hour at a border crossing point near Marynivka (78km east of Donetsk), the SMM saw 65 cars (25 with Ukrainian, 15 with Russian Federation and three with Lithuanian licence plates, and 22 with “DPR” plates) in a queue to exit Ukraine, and two buses (both with Ukrainian licence plates) entering Ukraine. During half an hour at a border crossing point near Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk), the SMM saw four buses (all with Ukrainian licence plates) and 45 cars (12 with Ukrainian and 18 with Russian Federation licence plates, and 15 with “DPR” plates) in a queue to exit Ukraine.

In Kyiv on 10 July, the SMM followed up on a social media report of an incident during a lecture the evening of 9 July on the topic of transgender people and related issues. At a café at 1-3 Pushkinska Street, the manager told the SMM that ten people in balaclavas had entered and tried to disrupt the lecture. On 11 July one of the event organizers (a woman in her twenties) told the SMM that ten people in balaclavas had broken into the café shouting abusive phrases, releasing tear gas and pouring paint on participants. A police statement said that three people were detained after the incident and would face charges.

On 11 July, the SMM monitored four protests in front of the national Parliament building in Kyiv, primarily concerning Parliament’s voting on the removal of immunity from some ministers. About 250 people (mostly women of various ages) participated. About 100 police officers secured the building. All protests remained peaceful during the Mission’s presence.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, 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, including at the disengagement area near Petrivske.

Denial of access:

• An armed man at a checkpoint in “DPR”-controlled Mineralne (10km north-east of Donetsk) stopped the SMM and said he needed to call his superiors. He made a telephone call and then told the Mission it would need to take a different route. The SMM informed the JCCC.

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.
• 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.
• Armed “LPR” members positioned on the southern side of the Zolote disengagement area 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.
• The SMM could not travel across 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.

Other impediments:

• Following up on a report of a casualty, the Mission contacted “LPR” members, who said the Mission needed to send a written request to other “LPR” members and the Russian Federation representation to the JCCC (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.