Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 1 September 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The SMM followed up on reports of a fatality in Hirske. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and observed a calm situation. Its access remained restricted in the disengagement areas and elsewhere, including in Verkhnoshyrokivske and at a checkpoint in Yasynuvata.* It saw a mortar in violation of the withdrawal lines in Avdiivka. The SMM monitored the start of the school year on both sides of the contact line and observed a calm situation.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1] in Donetsk region, including three explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (five explosions).

During the evening on 31 August, the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded one rocket-assisted projectile in flight from east to west at an undetermined distance north.

During the evening on 31 August, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard two undetermined explosions and about 40 shots of small-arms fire, all 3-5km south-east.

On the night of 31 August-1 September, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) recorded one undetermined explosion 0.5-1km south and one tracer round in flight from north-west to south-east 1-2km south-east.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded no ceasefire violations. (In the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded four explosions and over 100 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire.)

The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian casualty. On 1 September, medical staff at a hospital in government-controlled Hirske (63km west of Luhansk) told the SMM that a resident of Hirske (male, aged 29) had been admitted on 11 August with shrapnel injuries to his head, arms, legs, a skull fracture and a contusion to his left lung. The medical staff added that he had sustained the injuries from a probable explosion of a piece of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the yard of his house on 11 August; according to them, he had been transferred to the hospital in government-controlled Lysychansk (75km north-west of Luhansk), where he died on 18 August. The SMM spoke via telephone with the man’s partner, who confirmed that she had heard an explosion in the yard while she was inside the house. She told the SMM that at the beginning of the summer, the man had found a piece of UXO in Lysychansk and brought it to their house. 

The SMM continued to monitor the disengagement process and to pursue full access to the disengagement areas near 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.*

Positioned west of the Petrivske disengagement area in government-controlled Bohdanivka (41km south-west of Donetsk), in “DPR”-controlled Petrivske, in government-controlled Zolote and Stanytsia Luhanska, 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 withdrawal lines, in government-controlled areas, the SMM saw again a mortar (82mm) under camouflage canvas at a checkpoint at the western entrance to Avdiivka. (See SMM Daily Report 31 July 2017.)   

The SMM observed an anti-aircraft gun,[2] tracks assessed as those of tanks or self-propelled howitzers, and recently dug trenches in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw fresh tracks consistent with those of tanks with retrofitted tracks or self-propelled howitzer on road M04 2km east of Memryk (33km north-west of Donetsk) leading east.

In areas not under government control, the SMM saw a stationary anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) in Smile (31km north-west of Luhansk). The SMM also saw multiple fresh tracks assessed as those of armoured personnel carriers (MTLB) and infantry fighting vehicles (BMP-type) in Sentianivka (formerly Frunze, 44km west of Luhansk) leading east towards Smile.

On 30 August, an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted two rows of recently dug trenches, including artillery or mortar firing positions, extending for several hundred metres on both sides of road M14 between government-controlled Lebedynske (16km north-east of Mariupol) and government-controlled Sopyne (16km east of Mariupol).

The SMM for the first time observed a mine hazard sign (a white square with “Mine” written in Ukrainian in red letters) in government-controlled Pervomaiske (17km north-west of Donetsk) at the entrance of a compound four metres east of road E50. 

The SMM monitored the start of the school year and spoke with teachers in schools on both sides of the contact line. In government-controlled areas, the SMM observed a calm situation at the opening ceremony in schools in Avdiivka, Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk), Krasnohorivka (21km west of Donetsk), Sloviansk (95km north of Donetsk) and Mykolaivka (95km north of Donetsk). In areas not under government control, the SMM attended the opening ceremony and visited schools in Dokuchaievsk (30km south-west of Donetsk), Oleksandrivka (20km south-west of Donetsk), Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk), Debaltseve (58km north-east of Donetsk), Mykolaivka (15km east of Luhansk), Makariv Yar (former Parkhomenko, 28km east of Luhansk) and observed a calm situation. The SMM met with a school director in Debaltseve, who informed the SMM of an increase in the number of students in the school compared with the previous year.  

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, 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.

Denial of access:

• Armed persons prevented the SMM from proceeding through a checkpoint north-west of “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata to conduct a mini-UAV flight in the area, of which the SMM had previously informed the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The SMM informed the JCCC.
• Armed persons twice prevented the SMM from proceeding east at a checkpoint in “DPR”-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske (former Oktiabr, 29km north-east of Mariupol) citing orders from their superiors. On both occasions the SMM informed the JCCC.    

Related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• The SMM was prevented from accessing secondary roads south of the Zolote disengagement area due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. Armed “LPR” members positioned on the southern side of the Zolote disengagement area told the SMM that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.
• The SMM was prevented from accessing parts of 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 de-mining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.
• The possible presence of mines and UXO prevented the SMM from accessing the road leading west from Petrivske. The SMM informed the JCCC.

Conditional access:

• While the SMM was following up on reports of civilian casualties at a hospital in “LPR”-controlled Brianka (46km south-west of Luhansk), medical staff refused to provide any information, referring the Mission to “LPR” members in Luhansk city. A local “LPR” member and the chief of the fire brigade in Brianka told separately the SMM that three firefighters had sustained injuries when their truck had driven over an explosive device in “LPR”-controlled Verhulivka (61km west of Luhansk), where they were attempting to extinguish a fire. They refused to provide information on those affected, referring the Mission to “LPR” members in Luhansk city.  

[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.

[2] This hardware is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.