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

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission confirmed reports of civilian casualties in Avdiivka and Staromykhailivka. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote and Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas, and an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle spotted tracks of an armoured combat vehicle and a crater in the Petrivske disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including in Popasna and Novoazovsk.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Shchastia, Bakhmut and Nikishyne. It facilitated and monitored mine and unexploded ordnance clearance, co-ordinated by the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination, along the M03 road between Svitlodarsk and Debaltseve, and observed clearance activities in Pryshyb, Nikishyne, and Pyshchevyk. The Mission continued to observe mines and unexploded ordnance, as well as mine hazard signs, on both sides of the contact line. The SMM facilitated repairs to four pieces of critical infrastructure in Luhansk region. It visited two border areas not under government control.

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations,[1] including over 200 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 160 explosions).

On the morning of 19 July the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded 27 undetermined explosions 3-5km at south-easterly directions. In the afternoon, the same camera recorded, in sequence, one explosion assessed as an impact, four undetermined explosions, and 22 more explosions assessed as impacts, all 3-4km south-east.

During the day on 19 July, positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for six hours, the SMM heard five undetermined explosions, as well as small-arms fire, all 1.5-5km at directions ranging from south-west to north.

Aerial imagery revealed the presence on 18 July of about 30 impact sites on both sides of the M04 highway between Avdiivka and “DPR”-controlled Mineralne (10km north-east of Donetsk) that were not present in imagery from 2 July.

On the evening and night of 18-19 July, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard almost 100 undetermined explosions, as well as heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 3-8km south-east.

On the morning of 19 July, positioned 1.5km north-west of “DPR”-controlled Debaltseve (58km north-east of Donetsk) for 35 minutes, the SMM heard more than 20 bursts and 100 shots of small-arms fire 2km north-west.

On the evening of 18 July, while in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard one explosion assessed as an outgoing artillery round 5-6km south-west, two explosions assessed as outgoing mortar rounds 8-9km north-west, and 15 undetermined explosions 6-10km at directions ranging from south-west to north, as well as anti-aircraft-cannon (ZU-23, 23mm), automatic-grenade-launcher, heavy-machine-gun, and small-arms fire 3-8km at directions ranging from south-west to north-west.

On the afternoon of 19 July, positioned 1.2km north-west of government-controlled Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM heard 17 undetermined explosions and four bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 2-6km at easterly directions.

On the evening and night of 18-19 July the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, two undetermined explosions, four rocket-assisted projectiles in flight from west to east, four tracer rounds in flight from west to east, one undetermined explosion, six tracer rounds from west to east, one undetermined explosion, nine tracer rounds from west to east, one tracer round from east to west, one tracer round in vertical flight, four tracer rounds from west to east, five tracer rounds from east to west, two rocket-assisted projectiles from west to east, one undetermined explosion, five tracer rounds from west to east, and almost 50 tracer rounds from east to west, all at unknown distances north.

These were followed by aggregated totals of seven undetermined explosions, seven rocket-assisted projectiles (three from east to west and four from west to east), about 850 tracer rounds (about 590 from east to west, about 240 from west to east, and almost 20 in vertical flight), and four illumination flares in vertical flight, all at unknown distances north.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including two explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (one explosion).

Positioned in “LPR”-controlled Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, 50km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard one undetermined explosion 10km west. Positioned in government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard one undetermined explosion 8-10km south.

The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties. At a hospital in Avdiivka, the Mission saw two men with large bandages on their heads. One of the men also had a bandage on his left foot. He told the Mission that pieces of shrapnel had been removed from his head and foot. Both men said that they had heard an explosion while in a garden at 6 Shevchenka Street in Avdiivka on the evening of 18 July. One said he had also heard a whistling noise above. Medical staff at the hospital told the SMM that the two men had been admitted after sustaining shrapnel wounds to their heads. According to police, the men were aged 61 and 55.

At Hospital no. 24 in Donetsk city, the SMM saw a man (aged 52) with bandages on his left side, left knee and left upper arm. He told the Mission that he had been injured on the afternoon of 17 July when two shells landed near his house at 16 Dnipropetrovska Street in “DPR”-controlled Staromykhailivka (15km west of Donetsk). The hospital logbook indicated that he had sustained fragmentation injuries and had undergone surgery. At the Donetsk Kalinina Hospital, the SMM saw a man (aged 60) with a bandaged head. He told the Mission that he had sustained injuries from shelling, also on the afternoon of 17 July and in Staromykhailivka, while on a motorbike near his house at 7 Dalekoskhidna Street. The logbook at Hospital no. 24, where he was first taken, indicated that he had a fracture on the left side of his head.

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 18 July, about 20 people (men and women of different ages), individually and in small groups, expressed concern to the SMM about the broken section of the bridge south of government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska, asking when it would be repaired. On 19 July the SMM observed that the wooden ramps placed at this section were shaking horizontally as pedestrians crossed them.

In the afternoon, positioned at an “LPR” checkpoint south of the bridge, the SMM heard 12 bursts and almost 50 shots of small-arms fire 2km east, assessed as outside the disengagement area.

During the night of 17-18 July, the SMM camera in government-controlled Zolote recorded, in sequence, one projectile in flight from north to south 3-4km east and one undetermined explosion 4-5km east-north-east, each assessed as outside the disengagement area.

On 19 July, the SMM saw for the first time a north-facing camera on top of a pole inside the Zolote disengagement area, next to the north-south road, as well as a cable running from the camera to an “LPR” checkpoint about 100m south, on the edge of the disengagement area.

On 18 July, an SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted fresh vehicle tracks, of either an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-variant) or armoured personnel carrier (APC) (MT-LB), assessed as within the south-western part of the disengagement area near “DPR”-controlled Petrivske. About 50m from the tracks was a fresh crater, assessed as caused by an 82mm mortar round. The UAV also spotted two IFVs (BMP-variant) near government-controlled Bohdanivka (41km south-west of Donetsk), to the north-west of the 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 withdrawal lines, in government-controlled areas the SMM saw five self-propelled howitzers (2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm) on flatbed trailers – one stationary and four traveling south-east – north-east of Bakhmut (formerly Artemivsk, 67km north of Donetsk), and, on 18 July, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted two towed howitzers (D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm) near government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk).

In non-government-controlled areas the SMM saw a tank (T-64) at the south-western entrance to Nikishyne (60km north-east of Donetsk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside storage sites, the SMM saw a tank (T-72) being towed by a truck traveling south near government-controlled Kasianivka (22km north of Mariupol).

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles (ACVs) and anti-aircraft guns,[2] as well as other indications of military-type presence, in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, on 18 July the SMM saw one APC (BRDM-2) travelling north-west near Nyzhnie (56km north-west of Luhansk), and SMM mid-range UAVs spotted four APCs (two MT-LB and two BTR-variant) near Shchastia, one APC (BTR-80) near Mykolaivka (40km south of Donetsk) and two IFVs (BMP-variant) near Bohdanivka (see above). On 19 July, the SMM saw an IFV (BMP-2) loaded on a truck traveling north near Volnovakha (53km south of Donetsk) and two IFVs (BMP-variant) traveling south near Novotroitske. Aerial imagery revealed the presence on 18 July of two ACVs near Troitske (69km west of Luhansk).

In non-government-controlled areas, the SMM saw one IFV (BMP-2) near Prymorske (39km north-east of Mariupol), two APCs (one BTR-80, one MT-LB with a mounted anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23)) near Lukove (72km south of Donetsk), an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23) on a truck near Sokilnyky (38km north-west of Luhansk), and fresh tracks assessed as those of vehicles with an MT-LB chassis on a road near Pankivka (16km north of Luhansk) and near Lukove.

The SMM also saw relatively fresh tracks of a vehicle with a tank (T-64) chassis and one or two sets of tracks of a vehicle with a tank (T-72) chassis heading north near Khreshchatytske (formerly Krasnoarmiiske, 33km north-east of Mariupol), and a man in military-style clothing driving a civilian vehicle with one visible Russian Federation licence plate at a checkpoint in Prymorske.

The SMM facilitated and monitored clearance of mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), co-ordinated by the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), of the M03 road between Svitlodarsk and Debaltseve. (See SMM Daily Report 18 July 2017.) Demining teams of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Ministry of Emergency Situations, as well as a “DPR” demining team, worked to clear the section of road between the forward positions of the Armed Forces and armed formations, while SMM patrols monitored from a safe distance. Two rounds of anti-tank gun (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) and nine anti-tank mines (TM-62) were cleared. Afterward, the Mission was able to travel the road from Svitlodarsk to Debaltseve for the first time since early 2015. The SMM observed Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers placing anti-tank mines back into position on the road south-east of Svitlodarsk.

The SMM observed mine and UXO clearance – or possible clearance activities –  elsewhere. Around the site of the fatal incident of 23 April near “LPR”-controlled Pryshyb (34km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM observed an “LPR” demining team check sections of the road for mines and UXO. Near the entry-exit checkpoint in government-controlled Pyshchevyk (25km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM observed nine men standing in a burned field, all wearing flak jackets and blue helmets, and one carrying a mine detector. Crops in an adjacent part of the field appeared to be under harvest. On 18 July, at the south-western entrance of Nikishyne, the Mission saw five men in a field – some in military-style clothing – collecting equipment (type undetermined) near a stationary tank (T-64) with a hole in the barrel and fitted with hardware for demining, previously observed. (See above and SMM Daily Report 5 July 2017.)

The SMM continued to observe mines and UXO, as well as mine hazard signs. On 18 July, the SMM again saw a mine hazard sign in a crater on a road about 1km north-east of Popasna. (See SMM Daily Report 17 July 2017.) The same day, an SMM mid-range UAV again spotted three rows of anti-tank mines (TM-62) on the road south of the Shchastia bridge. (See SMM Daily Report 19 July 2017.)

About 2.5km north-east of “LPR”-controlled Sentianivka (formerly Frunze, 44km west of Luhansk), 10-15m north of a checkpoint, the SMM saw for the first time two unexploded 125mm tank shells and 25-30 other explosive remnants of war, including tailfins of recoilless gun (SPG-9) rounds and two empty explosive-reactive-armour (Kontakt-1) casings.

The SMM facilitated repairs, co-ordinated by the JCCC, to the Mykhailivka-Lysychansk high-voltage power lines and Karbonit-Zolote 1200mm water pipeline, both near Zolote, and power lines in Sentianivka, where the Mission observed five power company workers with three vehicles repairing lines that provide electricity to about 20 residences. The SMM also continued to facilitate maintenance works on water wells in “LPR”-controlled Krasnyi Lyman (30km north-west of Luhansk) by the Luhansk Water Company. (See SMM Daily Report 19 July 2017.)

The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. During one hour at a border crossing point near Dovzhanske (84km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw 20 cars (nine with Ukrainian, nine with Russian Federation, one with Lithuanian and one with Polish licence plates), two minivans (both with Ukrainian licence plates), five buses (all with Ukrainian licence plates, and one without an indicated itinerary), three trucks with covered cargo areas (two with Ukrainian and one with Belarusian licence plates) and five pedestrians (three women and one man, aged 25-45, along with one female child) exit Ukraine. The Mission also saw 26 cars (21 with Ukrainian and five with Russian Federation licence plates), one minivan (Ukrainian licence plates), one bus (Ukrainian licence plates), three trucks (all with Ukrainian licence plates; two with closed cargo areas and one carrying large sacks marked “white cement” in English) and 15 pedestrians (men and women of different ages) entering Ukraine.

On 18 July, during just over half an hour at a border crossing point near Novoazovsk (40km east of Mariupol), the SMM saw about 55 cars in queues to exit Ukraine and an undetermined number of cars entering Ukraine. Most of the vehicles had Ukrainian licence plates, while some had Russian Federation licence plates or “DPR” plates.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, 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, 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 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.
• 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 could not proceed along a road north-east of Popasna due to a mine hazard sign.

Conditional:

• Armed men at a checkpoint north of Novoazovsk stopped the SMM and insisted that “DPR” members with whom the Mission were scheduled to have a meeting provide an escort to the city. After 20 minutes the Mission proceeded with the escort. 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.