Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 22 October 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region between the evenings of 20 and 21 October compared with the previous reporting period and more between the evenings of 21 and 22 October compared with the previous 24 hours. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations between the evenings of 20 and 21 October compared with the previous reporting period and fewer between the evenings of 21 and 22 October compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Yenakiieve and Donetsk city’s Kyivskyi district. The SMM saw damage to civilian properties in residential areas in Dokuchaievsk and Kruta Hora. The SMM continued monitoring all three disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations and visited impact sites inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including in Siedove, a settlement close to the border with the Russian Federation, and in a compound of a heavy weapons holding area in an area outside of government control. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It facilitated and monitored repairs and maintenance to essential infrastructure near Vesela Hora. The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. 

In Donetsk region, between the evenings of 20 and 21 October, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations,[1] including, however, a similar number of explosions (about 75) compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 21 and 22 October, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions (about 90), compared with the previous 24 hours.

During the evening of 20 October, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 21 explosions assessed as impacts of mortar (82mm) rounds 1.5-2.5km east, 16 explosions assessed as impacts of mortar (120mm) rounds 2-2.5km south-east, about 40 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire 1-1.5km east, 17 bursts of infantry-fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-2, 30mm) or anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) cannon fire and 17 explosions assessed as outgoing rounds of recoilless-gun (SPG-9, 73mm) or IFV (BMP-1, 73mm) cannon fire. During the evening of 21 October, the SMM heard 31 explosions assessed as impacts of mortar (82mm) rounds 1.5-2.5km east, about 60 bursts of automatic-grenade-launcher fire 2-2.5km south-east, about 50 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire 1-1.5km east, 37 bursts of IFV (BMP-2) or anti-aircraft (ZU-23) cannon fire 1.5-2km south-east, and 19 explosions assessed as outgoing rounds of recoilless-gun (SPG-9) or IFV (BMP-1) cannon fire 1-2km east.

On the evening of 20 October, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) recorded, within a minute, 25 projectiles in flight from east to west 1-2km south.

During the day on 21 October, positioned on the south-western edge of government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk), the SMM heard four undetermined explosions 3-4km south-east. During the day on 22 October, the SMM heard nine undetermined explosions 2-4km at directions ranging from east to south-east.

During the day on 21 October, positioned at the railway station in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for about four hours, the SMM heard an undetermined explosion 5-6km west. On the same day, positioned on the south-western edge of Yasynuvata, the SMM heard four undetermined explosions, 25 shots and a burst of small-arms fire, all 5-7km west and west-south-west.

Positioned 2km south-west of government-controlled Pyshchevyk (25km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM heard three undetermined explosions and a burst of small-arms fire 2km north-north-east.

Positioned 2km south-east of “DPR”-controlled Sakhanka (26km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM heard four undetermined explosions, four bursts and four shots of small-arms fire 2-5km at directions ranging from west to north-north-west.

During the day on 21 October, positioned 2km south-east of government-controlled Lebedynske (16km east of Mariupol), the SMM heard four undetermined explosions and at least two bursts of small-arms fire 2-3km north-west. It also heard about 50 bursts of small-arms fire 1km east. During the day on 22 October, the SMM heard 14 undetermined explosions 1-2km north-north-east.

During the evening of 21 October, while in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 13 undetermined explosions, about 20 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire and 14 shots of small-arms fire, all 5-10km at directions ranging from south to west. 

During the day on 21 October, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in government-controlled Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk) recorded an undetermined explosion 5-8km north-north-east. During the day on 22 October, the same camera recorded an undetermined explosion 5-8km north-north-east.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including about 40 explosions, between the evenings of 20 and 21 October, compared with the previous reporting period (17 explosions). It recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including four explosions, between the evenings of 21 and 22 October, compared with the previous 24 hours.

On the night of 20-21 October, while in government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard three undetermined explosions of rocket-propelled grenade (RPG-7) fire, about 30 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire and about 30 shots of small-arms fire, all 6-8km south-east. During the day on 21 October, the SMM heard 22 undetermined explosions, 12 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire and 15 shots of small-arms fire, all 4-10km at directions ranging from south-east to south-south-west.

During the day on 21 October, positioned in “LPR”-controlled Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, 50km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard nine undetermined explosions and a burst of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 10km at directions ranging from west-north-west to north-north-west.

During the day on 21 October, positioned on the eastern edge of “LPR”-controlled Kalynove-Borshchuvate (61km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard an undetermined explosion 10km south-south-west.

During the day on 21 October, positioned in “LPR”-controlled Raivka (16km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard three undetermined explosions and two bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire 10km west and three bursts of small-arms fire 2-3km east.

During the day on 21 October, positioned on the eastern edge of government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk), the SMM heard two bursts (of 4-5 shots each) of small-arms fire 400-800m south-east. 

The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties. On 21 October, medical staff at a hospital in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city told the SMM that a woman (aged 52) from “DPR”-controlled Yenakiieve (41km north-east of Donetsk) had been admitted on 11 October, after having been transferred from a hospital in Yenakiieve. Medical staff told the SMM that the woman had sustained wounds, including to her right eye (see SMM Daily Report 21 October 2017), caused by a mine explosion. At the hospital, on 21 October, the SMM spoke with the woman and saw bandages on her eye. She told the SMM that at about 10:00 on 9 October she had been in the garden of her house at 6 Urozhaina Street in Yenakiieve together with a man. She said that when the latter had pulled a flower from the soil of the garden she had heard an explosion and her face had started bleeding.  

On 22 October, at the Hospital no. 20 in Donetsk city’s Kyivskyi district, medical staff told the SMM that they had been treating on 21 October a man (aged 31) with bullet wounds to his left shoulder. Medical staff added that the man had refused to be hospitalized. On 22 October, the SMM spoke over the phone with the man, who said that he had been in his apartment at about 19:00 on 21 October at 17 Novorosiiska Street in Kyivskyi district when a bullet had perforated the glass of the window, injuring his left shoulder.

The SMM observed damage to civilian properties in residential areas. On 21 October, accompanied by a Russian Federation Armed Forces officer of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), the SMM observed five fresh impact sites in “DPR”-controlled Dokuchaievsk (32km south-west of Donetsk) and one in “LPR”-controlled Kruta Hora (16km north-west of Luhansk).

At 23 Tsentralna Street in Dokuchaievsk, the SMM saw two holes in the west- and north-facing parts of the roof, as well as a hole in the west-facing wall on the second floor of a two-storey apartment building. A resident of the building (man, aged 40) told the SMM that he had heard gunfire starting at about 18:00 on 20 October.

At 25 Tsentralna Street, the SMM saw that the glass of a south-facing window of a two-storey apartment building was broken. A resident of the building (man, aged 40) told the SMM that he had heard at about 18:40 on 20 October an explosion 30m from the apartment building.

At 36 Tsentralna Street, the SMM saw that wooden planks of the west-facing part of a roof of a two-storey apartment building were broken. It also saw holes in the west-facing walls, as well as a shattered west-facing window. Two residents of the building (women, aged 40 and 80) told the SMM separately that they had heard at about 18:30 on 20 October a loud explosion near the apartment building.

At 69 Lenina Street in Dokuchaievsk, the SMM saw a hole in the south-eastern facing part of the roof of a one-storey apartment building.

The SMM could not assess the cause of damage or the direction of fire for all aforementioned impact sites.

On 20 October, on the eastern edge of Kruta Hora, south of a road which leads to Raivka, the SMM saw a fresh crater about 40m south of an “LPR” position and about 60m south-east of the nearest residential house. Near the crater, the SMM saw also 12 pieces of shrapnel assessed as remnants of rounds of IFV (BMP-1) cannon. The SMM assessed that the crater was caused by rounds of IFV (BMP-1) cannon fired from a west-north-westerly direction. The SMM spoke with a resident from “LPR”-controlled Zhovte (man, aged 50) and three residents from Kruta Hora (two women, aged 65-70, and one man aged 70). They told separately the SMM that they had heard explosions in an area near Kruta Hora during the night of 19-20 October.

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.*

On the evening of 21 October, while in government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska, the SMM heard four shots of small-arms fire 3-5km south-east, assessed as outside the disengagement area.

On the evening and night of 21-22 October, the SMM camera at Stanytsia Luhanska recorded four explosions assessed as impacts of rounds from undetermined weapons 1.5km south, all assessed as inside the disengagement area.

On 22 October, the SMM observed fresh shrapnel damage to part of a sand barrier and to a sign (with “entry-exit point” written in Russian), as well as six remnants of ammunition, assessed as an automatic grenade launcher (AGS-17 or AGS-30) round, approximately 100m south of the forward “LPR” checkpoint on the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. The SMM assessed that the damage was caused by a round from an automatic grenade launcher fired from a north-easterly direction.

On 21 October, positioned in Petrivske and Zolote disengagement areas, the SMM observed a calm situation.

On 22 October, positioned in Zolote and Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas, the SMM observed a calm situation. 

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

In violation of the respective withdrawal lines, in a government-controlled area, on 21 October, the SMM saw 12 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) (BM-21 Grad, 122mm) stationary loaded on a cargo train in the railway station in Bakhmut (formerly Artemivsk, 67km north of Donetsk). In an area outside of government control, on 21 October, the SMM saw four MLRS (BM-21) near Novoamvrosiivske (56km east of Donetsk).

The SMM observed weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage did not comply with the criteria set out in the 16 October 2015 notification from the SMM to the signatories of the Package of Measures on effective monitoring and verification of the withdrawal of heavy weapons. In areas not under government control, the SMM noted, on 21 October, that two anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) and 12 self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) and 11 MLRS (BM-21) continued to be absent. On 21 October, an armed “DPR” member prevented the SMM from accessing part of a compound in a heavy weapons holding area citing orders from his superiors.*

The SMM observed an armoured combat vehicle[2] in the security zone. In a government-controlled area, on 21 October, the SMM saw a stationary IFV (BTR-4) near Makarove (19km north-east of Luhansk).

The SMM observed mine hazard signs. In government-controlled areas, on 21 October, the SMM saw, for the first time, a mine hazard sign (red triangle with the word “Mine” written in Ukrainian) on the north-western edge of Hranitne (60km south of Donetsk) 15m south-west of a government checkpoint. The SMM saw another mine hazard sign (red triangle with the word “Mine” written in Ukrainian) on road T-0512 on the north-eastern edge of Hranitne. The SMM saw for the time a mine hazard sign near Blyzhnie (48km south-west of Donetsk), as well as a white board with “Demining activities in progress” written in Ukrainian.

The SMM facilitated and monitored clearance of mines co-ordinated by the JCCC, of road M03 between Svitlodarsk and “DPR”-controlled Debaltseve (58km north-east of Donetsk). On 21 October, the SMM observed demining teams of the Ukrainian Armed Forces clear the road of five anti-tanks mines approximately 300m south-south-east of the forward position of the Armed Forces. The SMM monitored the clearance from a distance. The Mission was able to travel along road M03 for the 14th time since the beginning of 2017 (see SMM Daily Report 2 October 2017). After its passage, the SMM saw that the Ukrainian Armed Forces demining team laid the anti-tank mines back onto road M03.

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs and maintenance works, co-ordinated by the JCCC, to the Vesela Hora-Khrystove power transmission line near “LPR”-controlled Vesela Hora (16km north of Luhansk).  

The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. On 21 October, during about an hour at a checkpoint near Voznesenivka (former Chervonopartyzansk, 67km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw 15 cars (12 with Ukrainian and three with Russian Federation licence plates) and a minibus (with Ukrainian licence plates) in a queue to exit Ukraine. The SMM saw eight cars (four with Ukrainian, three with Russian Federation and one with Georgian licence plates) and six pedestrians (two men aged 40-55 and four women aged 25-55) enter Ukraine. The SMM saw 23 cars (18 with Ukrainian, three with Russian Federation licence plates and two “LPR” plates) a truck with covered cargo (with Ukrainian licence plates) and three pedestrians (men, aged 35-60) exit Ukraine.

On 22 October, during about half an hour at a checkpoint near “DPR”-controlled Novoazovsk (40km east of Mariupol), the SMM saw 13 cars (ten with Russian Federation, two with Ukrainian licence plates, and one with “DPR” plates) and two trucks with covered cargo (one with Russian Federation and one with Ukrainian licence plates) exit Ukraine. The SMM saw seven cars (three with Russian Federation, one with Ukrainian licence plates and three with “DPR” plates) enter Ukraine.

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, 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 21 October, at a heavy weapons holding area, an armed “DPR” member prevented the SMM from accessing part of a compound citing orders from his superiors. The SMM informed the JCCC.
• On 22 October, at a checkpoint on the north-western edge of “DPR”-controlled Siedove (106km south of Donetsk), armed men stopped the SMM and denied it from proceeding further on the road towards Siedove. They said in an aggressive tone that Siedove was “a closed village” and that the SMM should obtain a written permit from the armed men’s superiors to approach and access it.

Related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• On 21 and 22 October, 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 on both occasions.
• On 21 and 22 October, 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 on both occasions.
• On 21 and 22 October, the SMM was prevented from accessing secondary roads in the Zolote disengagement area due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC at a checkpoint north of the Zolote disengagement area told the Mission that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC on both occasions.
• On 21 and 22 October, the SMM could not travel across the bridge in Shchastia due to the presence of mines. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC said there were mines on the road south of the bridge. The SMM informed the JCCC on both occasions.

[1] Please see the annexed report for a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations as well as a map of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions marked with locations featured in this report. 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.