Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 29 December 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of a minor injured by an explosion in Honcharivka. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including at a heavy weapons holding area and near Markyne. The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Oleksandropil. The Mission facilitated and monitored repairs to power lines near Betmanove and was informed that power had been restored to the village; it also facilitated and monitored maintenance works in Zalizne. The SMM visited two border areas outside government control.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], including 36 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 70 explosions).

On the evening of 28 December, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in government-controlled Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk) recorded 61 projectiles in flight from west to east 2-5km east.

On the evening and night of 28-29 December, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, an undetermined explosion, 12 projectiles in flight from east to west, three projectiles from west to east, an undetermined explosion, a projectile from west to east, two projectiles from east to west, an undetermined explosion, seven projectiles from east to west, an airburst, an illumination flare in flight from east to west, two projectiles from east to west, two projectiles from west to east, two projectiles from east to west, an airburst and an undetermined explosion, all 1-3km south.

On the evening and night of 28-29 December, the SMM camera 1km south-west of Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, an undetermined explosion, 12 projectiles in flight from east to west, an undetermined explosion, 25 projectiles from east to west, an undetermined explosion, six projectiles from east to west, an undetermined explosion, an illumination flare, 29 projectiles from east to west, a projectile from west to east and 32 projectiles from east to west, all 5-8km north.

On the evening of 28-29 December, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 11 undetermined explosions and seven bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 3-7km south-east and south-west.

On 29 December, positioned at the railway station in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for about three hours, the SMM heard four undetermined explosions, a burst of anti-aircraft cannon fire and two bursts of small-arms fire, all 1-4km west to north-north-west, and three undetermined explosions 5-10km west.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations and no explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (five explosions).

The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian casualty: a minor injured by an explosion in government-controlled Honcharivka (132km north-west of Luhansk). A woman (in her forties) told the SMM that on 27 December, while she was in her house in Honcharivka, she had heard a loud explosion followed by her son (age 11) screaming; she found him bleeding profusely and missing his right hand. She said that the boy is currently in hospital in government-controlled Lysychansk (75km north-west of Luhansk). A police officer in government-controlled Svatove (125km north-west of Luhansk) told the SMM that his department was aware of the incident and was investigating it as an “inappropriate manipulation of an explosive device”, but had not yet spoken to the victim who remains in intensive care.

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 28 December, while on the eastern edge of government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska, the SMM heard three bursts of small-arms fire 3-4km south (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

On 29 December, positioned near all three disengagement areas, the SMM observed 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, an SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle spotted two self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) in government-controlled Oleksandropil (43km north of Donetsk) on 28 December.

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites, in a non-government-controlled area, the SMM saw a stationary tank in a field 2km west of Markyne (94km south of Donetsk), an area where two “DPR” members in military-style attire prevented the SMM from travelling west.*

The SMM revisited a permanent storage site in an area outside government control in Donetsk region whose location was beyond the respective withdrawal lines and noted that seven tanks (five T-64 and two T-72) were again missing.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles and anti-aircraft guns[2] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw a stationary armoured recovery vehicle (BTS-4) in Oleksandropillia (71km west of Luhansk) and a stationary self-propelled anti-aircraft system (ZU-23-4 Shilka, 23mm) near Popasna (69km west of Luhansk).

In non-government-controlled areas, the SMM saw nine infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) (BMP-2) and 15 armoured personnel carriers (MT-LB), including two with an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) atop, heading east in Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, 50km west of Luhansk), and four flatbed trucks each towing an IFV (BMP-1) moving east in Brianka (46km south-west of Luhansk).

The SMM facilitated and monitored repairs to power lines near “DPR”-controlled Betmanove (formerly Krasnyi Partizan, 23km north-east of Donetsk), which has been without power since early September. (See SMM Daily Report 14 October 2017.) According to a local resident, power was restored to the village. In government-controlled Zalizne (42km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM facilitated and monitored maintenance work at a phenol sludge reservoir.

The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. At the border crossing point near Novoazovsk (40km east of Mariupol), during about 10 minutes, the SMM saw 31 cars in a queue to exit Ukraine. At the border crossing point near Novoborovytsi (79km south of Luhansk), during about an hour, the SMM saw no cars entering or exiting 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 Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (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:                        

• An armed “DPR” member denied the SMM access to a heavy weapons holding area, citing orders not to permit anyone to enter.
• Two “DPR” members in military-style attire stopped the SMM near Markyne and prevented it from traveling west, claiming – without providing a reason – that the Mission needed to leave the area immediately (see above).

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 armed “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.
• The SMM did 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.5

[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.