Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 28 December 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Petrivske disengagement areas. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere. The Mission facilitated and monitored repairs to a power substation near Dolomitne and noted that, as a result, electricity had been restored to Travneve. The SMM visited three border areas outside government control.

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

On the evening of 27 December, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, an undetermined explosion, a projectile in flight from west to east, an undetermined explosion, eight projectiles from east to west and an undetermined explosion, all 1-3km south. The following day, the same camera recorded 11 projectiles in flight from east to west, 1-3km south.

During the day on 28 December, positioned at the railway station in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for three and a half hours, the SMM heard 13 undetermined explosions 7-10km north-north-west, 35 shots of small-arms fire 2-3km north-west, and three undetermined explosions and about 20 bursts and shots of small-arms fire, all 2-4km south-west and west-south-west. Positioned on the south-western edge of Yasynuvata for about two hours, the SMM heard about 160 shots of small-arms fire 1-2km at directions ranging from west-south-west and north.

On the evening of 27 December, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in government-controlled Maiorsk (45km north-east of Donetsk) recorded five projectiles in flight from north to south, 2-4km south-east.

On the evening of 27 December, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 11 undetermined explosions and about 20 bursts and shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 3-6km south-east.

During the day on 28 December, positioned in government-controlled Novoluhanske (53km north of Donetsk), the SMM heard two undetermined explosions and about 20 bursts and shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 1-3km at directions ranging from south to west.

On the evening of 27 December, the SMM camera 1km south-west of Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded a projectile in flight from east to west 5-8km north. On the morning of 28 December, the same camera recorded an undetermined explosion 5-8km north.

During the day on 28 December, positioned in government-controlled Pavlopil (26km north-west of Mariupol), the SMM heard 16 undetermined explosions at unknown distances north-east and north-north-east.

Positioned about 2km south-south-east of government-controlled Sakhanka (24km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM heard nine explosions assessed as outgoing mortar rounds and about 40 bursts and shots of small-arms fire, all 1-2km at directions ranging from south-west to north-west. The SMM also heard two undetermined explosions at unknown distances south-east and north-north-east.                      

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including five explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (one explosion).

During the day on 28 December, positioned about 2.5km south of government-controlled Muratove (51km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard an undetermined explosion 3km south-east and a burst of small-arms fire 3km south-west.

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.*

In the early hours of 28 December, while on the eastern edge of government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska, the SMM heard three undetermined explosions and about 60 bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 3-5km south (assessed as outside the disengagement area). The SMM camera near the Prince Ihor monument south-east of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (16km north-east of Luhansk) recorded an undetermined explosion 3-5km west-north-west (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

During the day on 28 December, positioned in “DPR”-controlled Petrivske, the SMM heard a shot of small-arms fire 1km west (unable to assess whether inside or outside the disengagement area).

On 28 December, positioned near the Zolote 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.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles[2] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, on 27 December, an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted two armoured personnel carriers (APC) (BTR-variant) and three reconnaissance vehicles (BRDM-2) near Talakivka (90km south of Donetsk), and two probable APCs (BTR-variants) near Pavlopil (84km south of Donetsk).

The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs to a power substation near government-controlled Dolomitne (53km north-east of Donetsk), a village adjacent to government-controlled Travneve (51km north-east of Donetsk), carried out by a power company. (See SMM Daily Report 21 December 2017.) Later that day, a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) told the SMM via telephone that the repairs had been completed and electricity had been restored to Travneve. Residents of Travneve had told the SMM that electricity to the village was cut on 16 November (see SMM Daily Report 30 November 2017); a staff member in the village council of government-controlled Novoluhanske (53km north-east of Donetsk) had told the Mission that two generators had been brought to the village (see SMM Daily Report 15 December 2017).

The SMM visited three border areas not under government control. At a border crossing point near Izvaryne (52km south-east of Luhansk), during about an hour, the SMM saw 15 cars (five with “LPR” plates), three covered cargo trucks and 75 pedestrians exiting Ukraine, and five civilian cars, two covered cargo trucks, two buses and 200 pedestrians entering Ukraine.

At a border crossing point near Sievernyi (50km south-east of Luhansk), during about 40 minutes, the SMM saw 12 pedestrians entering Ukraine and eight pedestrians exiting Ukraine.

At a border crossing point near Marynivka (78km east of Donetsk), during about 30 minutes, the SMM saw 17 cars exiting Ukraine, and 13 cars and two vans entering 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. Nonetheless, the armed formations in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions frequently deny the SMM access to areas adjacent to Ukraine’s border outside control of the Government, citing orders to do so. (See, for example, SMM Daily Report 2 December 2017.) The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remain restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April 2017 near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations.

Denial of access:

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. An “LPR” member 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.
• 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 on the northern side of the Zolote disengagement area told the SMM that he had no information regarding de-mining in the area during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.[3]
• 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.4
• 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 of the JCCC said there were mines on the road south of the bridge. The SMM informed the JCCC.4

Other impediments:

• In “LPR”-controlled Rodakove (22km west of Luhansk), an “LPR” member refused to speak with the SMM, claiming that the SMM needed to address its questions to other “LPR” members.
• In “LPR”-controlled Zymohiria (27km west of Luhansk), an “LPR” member refused to speak with the SMM, claiming that the SMM needed to address its questions to other “LPR” members.

 

[1] For a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table. Four SMM cameras continue to be tested until the end of December 2017.

* Please see the section at the end of this report entitled “Restrictions of SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to fulfilment of its mandate.”

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

[3] The SMM informed Ukrainian Armed Forces officers of the JCCC. Russian Federation Armed Forces officers of the JCCC have withdrawn from the JCCC as of 18 December 2017.