Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 27 August 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions between the evenings of 25 and 26 August compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 26 and 27 August, it recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, but fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission followed up on reports of a civilian casualty from Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city. The SMM saw damage to civilian properties caused by shelling in Lukove and assessed impact sites there and in Shyrokyne. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; its access remains restricted there and elsewhere, including again at a non-government-controlled checkpoint in Verkhnoshyrokivske and to a Ukrainian Armed Forces heavy weapons holding area. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued to observe the presence of mine hazard signs along the Berdianske seashore near a group of people. The SMM visited one border area not under government control in Luhansk region.

In Donetsk region between the evenings of 25 and 26 August, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], including about 15 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 80 explosions). Between the evenings of 26 and 27 August, it recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations, including about 15 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours.

On the evening and night of 25-26 August, the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded two undetermined explosions 4-5km east-south-east. On 26 August, positioned in Avdiivka for about five hours, the SMM heard one undetermined explosion 3-5km east-south-east. During the day on 27 August, the same camera recorded one undetermined explosion 4-5km east-south-east. On the same day, positioned in Avdiivka for about five hours, the SMM heard two undetermined explosions 3-5km east-south-east.

On the evening of 25 August, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, one undetermined explosion 1-3km south, 19 tracer rounds in flight from north-north-west to south-south-east, eight tracer rounds in flight from south-south-east to north-north-west, two tracer rounds in flight from east to west, three tracer rounds in flight from south-south-east to north-north-west, seven tracer rounds in flight from east to west, all 0.5-1km south-south-east and two undetermined explosions 1-2km south-south-east. On 26 August, the same camera recorded, in sequence, two undetermined explosions, one explosion assessed as an impact, one projectile in flight from west to east, one explosion assessed as an impact, one projectile in flight from north-west to south-east and one explosion assessed as an impact, all 1-3km south.  

On the evening and night of 26-27 August, while in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city, the SMM heard five undetermined explosions 8-10km north-west. During the day on 27 August, the SMM heard about five bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire and one undetermined explosion 3-5km north-est.

On 26 August, positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for about six hours, the SMM heard nine undetermined explosions and nine bursts of small-arms fire 1-4km ranging from west to north-north-west. On 27 August, positioned in Yasynuvata for about seven hours, the SMM heard about 70 shots and bursts of small-arms fire and seven undetermined explosions, all 1-4km ranging from west-north-west to north-west.  

On 26 August, positioned 2.4km west of “DPR”-controlled Nyzhnie Lozove (59km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 16 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire 3-5km north.

During the night of 26-27 August, while in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM heard one undetermined explosion 6-10km north-west and five bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire 5-8km north-west.

In Luhansk region between the evenings of 25 and 26 August, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations, however no explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (one explosion). Between the evenings of 26 and 27 August, it recorded no ceasefire violations.

The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties. On 25 August, medical staff at the Kalinina hospital in Donetsk city told the SMM that a resident of 29 Luhovskoho Street in the Trudivskyi area of Donetsk city’s Petrovskyi district (male, aged 61) had been admitted to the hospital and had undergone surgery. On 26 August, the SMM spoke via telephone with the man’s wife who said that her husband had been hit by a bullet in the chest while he was seeking shelter during heavy small-arms fire in the area between 06:00 and 07:20 on 25 August. She confirmed that he was being treated at the Kalinina Hospital in Donetsk city, where medical staff had extracted a 7.62mm bullet from the left side of his chest. She added that his condition was stable.

The SMM followed up on reports of damage to civilian properties in residential areas caused by shelling. On 25 August, accompanied by unarmed “DPR” members, the SMM assessed four fresh impact sites in “DPR”-controlled Lukove (72km south of Donetsk).

At 59 Pervomaiska Street, the SMM saw a hole (6m in diameter) in the entrance of the house and another one (9m in diameter) in the ceiling of the living room. The west-facing side of the roof had partially collapsed and corrugated metal roofing had been torn off and perforated by shrapnel. The inside of the house had been destroyed by debris of the collapsed ceiling and partition walls. The SMM assessed that the damage had been caused by two mortar (120mm) rounds fired from a westerly direction. A resident (male, aged 50) of the house told the SMM that shelling had occurred while he and his mother (aged 73) were both on Pervomaiska Street about 15m from the house at 08:20 on 24 August. He added that his mother had sustained shrapnel injuries to the left upper part of her chest and that she was being treated at the hospital in “DPR”-controlled Starobesheve (32km south-east of Donetsk).

At 63/65 Pervomaiska Street, the SMM saw a crater (1.5m diameter) in a garden about 40m north-west of a house. The SMM observed shrapnel damage to the house: two broken east-facing windows and a destroyed sanitary facility 1m south of the impact site. The SMM assessed it as caused by a mortar (120mm) round fired from a westerly direction.

At 52/52A Pervomaiska Street, the SMM saw a crater (1.5m diameter) in a garden about 30m north-east of a house. The house itself had sustained damage: the glass of two east- and two north-facing windows was broken. The SMM assessed it as caused by a mortar (120mm) round fired from a westerly direction.

At 52 Pervomaiska Street, the SMM saw a crater (1.5m diameter) in a garden about 20m north of a house, assessed as caused by a mortar (120mm) round fired from a westerly direction.

On 26 August, about 500m south-west of the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol), the SMM saw a fresh crater (1.5m diameter) approximately 5m west of the asphalt road in a field. The SMM assessed it as caused by an artillery (152mm) round fired from a north-easterly direction.

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 24 August, the SMM camera in government-controlled Zolote recorded, in sequence, one projectile in flight from north-east to south-west 2-3km south-south-east and, about one hour later, two projectiles in flight from north-east to south-west 1-2km south. The SMM could not assess whether they were inside or outside the disengagement area. On 26 August, positioned in Zolote-5, the SMM heard one shot of small-arms fire 700m north-west, assessed as outside the disengagement area.

On 26 August, positioned north of the bridge of Stanytsia Luhanska, near the government checkpoint, the SMM saw a Ukrainian Armed Forces military truck carrying large concrete blocks toward the bridge, followed by a large crane. The SMM saw the crane unloading the blocks on the bridge and placing them on top of other concrete blocks, opposite of some sanitary facilities and in front of the civilian queuing area.

On 27 August, positioned in government-controlled Bohdanivka (41km south-west of Donetsk), west of the Petrivske disengagement area, the SMM observed a calm situation.

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

In violation of the respective withdrawal lines, in government-controlled areas, on 26 August, the SMM saw seven multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) (BM-21 Grad, 122mm) near Poltavka (54km north-west of Donetsk).

Also in violation of the withdrawal lines, in areas not under government control, on 26 August, aerial imagery revealed the presence of 18 MLRS (type unknown) near a possible training area about 5km south-east of Miusynsk (62km south-west of Luhansk) (see SMM Daily Report 14 August), and six self-propelled howitzers, 14 towed howitzers, one MLRS (type unknown) near Buhaivka (37km south-west of Luhansk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites, in areas not under government control, aerial imagery revealed the presence of 24 tanks, ten self-propelled howitzers and eight towed howitzers near a possible training area about 5km south-east of Miusynsk (62km south-west of Luhansk) (see SMM Daily Report 14 August), as well as 22 tanks and six surface-to-air missiles near Buhaivka.      

The SMM observed tracks assessed as those of military-type vehicles in the security zone. In government controlled areas, the SMM saw: tracks assessed as those of one self-propelled howitzer (2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm) approximately 10km west of Zlatoustivka (66km south-west of Donetsk) leading west; tracks assessed as those of military-type vehicles near Starohnativka (51km south of Donetsk) leading east; tracks assessed as those of an infantry fighting vehicle (BMP-type) 2km south-west of Prokhorivka (53km south of Donetsk) leading east; tracks assessed as those of a possible self-propelled howitzer (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) 3km south-west of Rybynske (49km south of Donetsk) leading south-east.

The Mission continued to observe the presence of mine hazard signs. On 27 August, the SMM saw again 13 mine hazard signs (standard red square with “Caution, Mines!” written in Russian) about 800m from the seashore in government-controlled Berdianske (18km east of Mariupol). The SMM also observed about ten people on the seashore, who told the SMM that they were resting in the area and swimming in the sea despite being aware of the presence of mines nearby.

The SMM continued to observe mine action about 1km west of government-controlled Blyzhnie (48km south-west of Donetsk). On 27 August, the SMM saw a vehicle bearing the markings of an international demining organization parked on the side of the road connecting the village and road H20 as well as red stakes placed at equal distances in the ground along the road shoulder, suggesting that mine mapping or clearance activities were underway.

The SMM facilitated and monitored the clearance of mines and UXO, co-ordinated by the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), of road M03 between government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk) and “DPR”-controlled Debaltseve (58km north-east of Donetsk), on 26 August, enabling the Mission to travel along the road for the fifth time in 2017. (See SMM Daily Report 18 August 2017).

The SMM visited a border area not under government control in Luhansk region. On 27 August at an unstaffed crossing point in Verkhnoharasymivka (57km south-east of Luhansk), in about one hour, the SMM saw ten people enter Ukraine and six exiting it.

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

*Restrictions of the 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:

• On 26 August, armed persons at a “DPR” checkpoint 2.5km north-west of Yasynuvata stopped the SMM and cited orders from their superiors that the SMM was not allowed to conduct an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight over the Donetsk Filtration Station. Two armed persons added that if the SMM flew the UAV, it would be shot down. The SMM informed the JCCC. 
• On 27 August, armed persons prevented an SMM patrol from proceeding east at a checkpoint in “DPR”-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske (formerly Oktiabr, 29km north-east of Mariupol). The SMM informed the JCCC.
• On 27 August, a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer denied the SMM access to a heavy weapons holding area. The SMM informed the JCCC.

Related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

- On 26 and 27 August, the SMM was prevented from accessing areas in the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, with the exception of the main road, due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that no demining activities had taken place during the previous 24 hours in the area. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC both times.

- On 26 and 27 August, the possible presence of mines and UXO prevented the SMM from accessing secondary roads north of the Zolote disengagement area. At a checkpoint on the northern edge of the area a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that no demining had taken place over the previous 24 hours. The SMM informed the JCCC both times.

- On 26 and 27 August, the possible presence of mines and UXO prevented the SMM from accessing secondary roads south of the Zolote disengagement area. Armed “LPR” members positioned on the southern side of the disengagement area told the SMM that no demining activity had been conducted in the area. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC both times.

- On 27 August, the possible presence of mines and UXO prevented the SMM from accessing the road leading west from Petrivske. The SMM informed the JCCC.

- On 26 August and 27 August, the SMM could not travel across the bridge in government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk) due to the presence of mines. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer at the JCCC told the SMM that mines on the road south of the bridge were still present. The SMM informed the JCCC.

Conditional access:

- On 26 August, armed persons at a “DPR” checkpoint at the southern outskirts of Horlivka stopped the SMM allowing it to pass only after checking the trunks of its vehicles. The SMM informed the JCCC.

- On 27 August, armed persons stopped the SMM twice on road T0513 at the north-western outskirts of Horlivka allowing the SMM to pass on both occasions only after checking the trunks of its vehicles. 

[1] For a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table. During this reporting period the SMM camera at the Oktiabr mine (Donetsk) remained non-operational.