Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 7 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 Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, where it noted calm situations. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including in Metalist and near Kreminets.* An SMM unmanned aerial vehicle spotted weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Popasna. The Mission facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance to the thermal power plant in Shchastia and a water well near Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM continued to monitor the situation of schools near the contact line on both sides. The Mission monitored three gatherings in Kyiv.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations,[1] including ten explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 70 explosions).

On the evening of 6 September, while in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard one undetermined explosion 3-4km north-west. During the day on 7 September, positioned in Horlivka, the SMM heard three undetermined explosions 3-6km west and north-west.

On the evening of 6 September, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard four undetermined explosions 6-8km east.

On the evening and night of 6-7 September, the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, 11 tracer rounds in flight from east to west, 12 tracer rounds from west to east, 17 tracer rounds from east to west, and one tracer round from west to east, followed by aggregated totals of 69 tracer rounds (11 from west to east and 58 from east to west) and one undetermined explosion, all at unknown distances north.

On 7 September, positioned at the entry-exit checkpoint near government-controlled Maiorsk (45km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard one undetermined explosion 1-2km south.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded no ceasefire violations. (In the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded about 40 explosions.)

On 7 September, two armed persons in Horlivka told the SMM that they had been informed verbally about the recommitment to cease fire.

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.*

The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, where it noted calm situations.

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, on 5 September an SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted three mortars (2B11 Sani, 120mm) near Popasna (69km west of Luhansk).

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles, anti-aircraft guns[2], and recently dug trenches in the security zone. In government‑controlled areas, on 5 September, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (BRDM-2) travelling north-east, an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) mounted on an APC (MT-LB), seven stationary infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) (BMP-variant) and a stationary APC (MT-LB), all near Popasna. An SMM mid-range UAV also spotted scarring marks in a field and tracks assessed as from at least 22 towed howitzers (D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm) and nine stationary IFVs (BMP-variant) partially concealed under netting near Vyskryva (76km west of Luhansk). Near Pervomaiske (17km north-west of Donetsk), an SMM mid-range UAV spotted a stationary IFV (BMP-variant) and an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) mounted on a stationary APC (MT-LB).

Near non-government-controlled Dolomitne (53km north-east of Donetsk), on 1 September, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted one IFV (BMP-variant) under netting and recently dug trenches, including artillery or mortar firing positions.

The SMM’s UAVs spotted fresh craters on both sides of the contact line. In a government-controlled area, on 5 September, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted more than 50 fresh craters assessed as caused by automatic-grenade-launcher (AGS-17 or AGS-30, 30mm) fire and mortar (82mm) rounds near Popasna.

In a non-government-controlled area, on 1 September, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted a fresh crater, as well as other craters throughout the area, all assessed as caused by mortar (82mm) rounds, near Dolomitne.

The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance, co-ordinated by the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), to the thermal power plant in government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk) and to a water well near government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska.

The SMM monitored the situation of civilians at a “DPR” checkpoint on road H15 3km east of “DPR”-controlled Kreminets (16km south-west of Donetsk). A group of 20 civilians (men and women, aged 20-70) told the SMM that they had been waiting for over ten hours to travel towards non-government-controlled areas. The “commander” of the checkpoint told the SMM that the delays were the result of a new computer program being installed and then told the SMM that it was not allowed to walk around the checkpoint and must return to its vehicles.*

The SMM continued to monitor the situation at the schools near the contact line on both sides. In government-controlled areas, the SMM visited schools in Bakhmut (formerly Artemivsk, 67km north of Donetsk), Rozdolivka (87km north of Donetsk), Yakovlivka (83km north of Donetsk), Kalynove (formerly Kalinine, 65km south-west of Donetsk), Kamianka (38km north-east of Mariupol), Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk) and Olhynka (40km south-west of Donetsk).

The director of the school in Bakhmut told the SMM that 960 pupils were enrolled (including 72 internally displaced persons). The director of the school in Rozdolivka told the SMM that 67 pupils, including three internally displaced persons, were enrolled. The director in the school in Yakovlivka said that there were 102 pupils enrolled, including seven internally displaced persons.

The director of the school in Kalynove told the SMM that 80 pupils were enrolled, including five internally displaced persons, and that Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel had previously taught mine awareness lessons and first aid. The director of the school in Kamianka told the SMM that there were 81 pupils enrolled.

The director of a school in Novotroitske told the SMM that there were 165 pupils enrolled, fewer than before the conflict, when there were 215 pupils, and that there continue to be regular power cuts.

At another school in Novotroitske, the director told the SMM that there were 325 pupils enrolled. At the school in Olhynka, the director said that there were 226 pupils enrolled. At both of these schools the SMM was told that during the summer months, some pupils travel from non-government-controlled areas to take exams to obtain valid certificates.

In government-controlled Bakhchovyk (59km south of Donetsk) a woman (aged 38) told the SMM that the local school had closed in September 2016 due to lack of enrolled pupils.

In areas not under government control, the SMM visited three schools in Ilovaisk (30km south-east of Donetsk), as well as schools in Horlivka, Bezimenne (30km east of Mariupol) and Holubivka (formerly Kirovsk, 51km west of Luhansk). The deputy director of the school in Ilovaisk told the SMM that there were 187 pupils enrolled. At a kindergarten in Ilovaisk, the director told the SMM that local residents had used the building’s basement for shelter during the summer in 2014, that the kindergarten had always remained functional and that it currently had 152 pupils enrolled. At a third school in Ilovaisk, the director told the SMM that there were 350 pupils enrolled, that the school had been damaged in 2014.

The director of the school in Horlivka told the SMM that there were 217 pupils enrolled and that the school had been damaged by shelling in the summer of 2016. The SMM saw that repairs were ongoing to the shelter in the basement.

The director of the school in Bezimenne told the SMM that there were about 180 pupils enrolled and that there were regular power cuts. She said that the school was closed for two weeks in May 2017 following nearby shelling which broke windows in the school.

The deputy head of the district administration in Holubivka and the head of the education department told the SMM that due to the armed violence, the schools in Donetskyi (49km west of Luhansk), Holubivske (51km west of Luhansk) and Berezivske (53km north-west of Luhansk) had been closed. According to them, all children in the area were now attending one of the three functioning schools, three kindergartens or gymnasium in Holubivka, or a school in Krynychanske (formerly Chervonohvardiiske, 42km west of Luhansk).

In “DPR”-controlled Pervomaiske (68km south of Donetsk), a man and a woman (both aged 55-60) told the SMM that the local school had closed and that children were travelling by bus to a school in Kuznetsovo-Mykhailivka (67km south-east of Donetsk).

The SMM observed three gatherings in Kyiv. On 6 September, the SMM saw around 2,000 people (men and women aged 20-75) on Sofiivska Square. A man (in his sixties) addressed the crowd in Russian and expressed opposition to Mikhail Saakashvili’s announced return to Ukraine. The SMM also saw people holding banners and posters in Ukrainian language with similar messages and 30 people carrying Ukrainian flags. Six law enforcement officers were present.

On 7 September, for the second day, the SMM saw around 500 people (mostly middle-aged men) on Hrushevskoho Street near the Parliament building who were calling for regulation of taxation of imported vehicles and affordable customs clearance for the owners of used cars with foreign licence plates. (See SMM Daily Report 7 September 2017.) The SMM saw about 300 law enforcement and National Guard officers, some of whom intervened and prevented a group of protesters from setting tyres on fire. The protest ended without further incidents.

The SMM monitored a gathering of about 800 people (mostly elderly women) in front of the National Bank of Ukraine on Instytutska Street. The SMM saw many people carrying flags of a political party.

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.

Denial of access:

• Five armed persons stopped the SMM at a checkpoint 2km north of “LPR”-controlled Metalist (7km north-west of Luhansk) and told the SMM that due to an ongoing operation, the SMM was not allowed to pass without sharing a copy of its patrol plan. The SMM left the area and informed the JCCC. (About two hours later, the SMM returned to the checkpoint and was able to proceed.)

Related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• 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.
• 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.
• The possible presence of mines and UXO prevented the SMM from accessing side roads other than the main asphalt road 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.
• The SMM could not travel across the bridge in Shchastia due to the presence of mines. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that mines on the road south of the bridge were still present. The SMM informed the JCCC.

Other:

• A “commander” of a “DPR” checkpoint near Kreminets told the SMM that it was not allowed to walk around the area and must return to 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.

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