Spot Report by the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM): Artillery fired less than 500m from SMM’s forward patrol base in Popasna

This report is for the media and the general public.

On 13 December at 00:05, while at its forward patrol base on the northern edge of government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard ten explosions assessed as outgoing artillery fire 200-500m west to west-north-west, and smelt propellant. SMM staff (consisting of five monitoring officers, a paramedic and a language assistant) at the forward patrol base immediately entered the base’s basement shelter. At 00:36, one of the monitoring officers left the shelter to assess the security situation and heard three explosions assessed as outgoing artillery fire and saw three muzzle flashes 200-500m west to west-north-west. A representative of the military-civil administration in Popasna then told the SMM by telephone about heavy shelling occurring near Popasna and recommended it to remain in the shelter. The Mission noted that shelling ceased at 01:20 and then resumed from 01:45 until 02:20. Between 00:05 and 02:20, the SMM, while in the shelter, heard approximately 60 undetermined explosions at an undetermined distance and direction.

At 03:40, the SMM heard eight explosions assessed as outgoing artillery fire 200-500m west to west-north-west. At about 04:35, the SMM heard five explosions assessed as outgoing artillery fire 200m-500m west to west-north-west and, at 06:00, it heard three explosions assessed as outgoing artillery fire at an undetermined distance and direction.

At around 10:30 on 13 December the SMM left the forward patrol base and subsequently reached Sievierodonetsk safely. The SMM has since returned to its forward patrol base in Popasna.

The SMM informed the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination and asked it to follow up on the incident.