Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 31 January 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including in Horlivka and near Kreminets.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Mykolaivka. The Mission continued to facilitate and monitor repair works to water wells near Krasnyi Lyman and Artema. The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. In Odessa, the SMM observed an event commemorating the Holocaust; in Kyiv, the SMM observed a protest of retired law enforcement personnel.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], including, however, more explosions (about 85), compared with the previous reporting period (about 50 explosions).

On the evening and night of 30-31 January, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, two projectiles in flight from west to east, three projectiles from east to west, four undetermined explosions, eight projectiles from east to west, an illumination flare in vertical flight, 61 projectiles from east to west, an undetermined explosion, four projectiles from east to west, three undetermined explosions, ten projectiles from east to west, a projectile from west to east, two undetermined explosions, 12 projectiles from east to west, eight projectiles from west to east, three undetermined explosions, 11 projectiles from north to south, three projectiles from east to west, an undetermined explosion, 15 projectiles from west to east, two projectiles from east to west, 16 projectiles from west to east, a projectile from east to west, three undetermined explosions, four projectiles from east to west, a projectile from west to east and six projectiles from east to west, all 0.5‑1.5km south.

In the early morning of 31 January, the SMM camera 1km south-west of Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded 20 projectiles in flight from east to west followed by five undetermined explosions, all 5-8km north.

During the day on 31 January, positioned at the railway station in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for about four hours, the SMM heard 23 undetermined explosions 2-5km west and north-west, four undetermined explosions 1-2km east, as well as heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire 1-4km at directions ranging from west to north.

On the same day, positioned on the south-western edge of government‑controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) for more than five hours, the SMM heard 21 undetermined explosions 3‑5km south over a 24-minute period.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including three explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (seven explosions).

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 on 30 January, the SMM camera in government-controlled Zolote recorded two undetermined explosions 3.5-4km south-south-west (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

On the morning of 31 January, while in government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska, the SMM heard an undetermined explosion 3-5km south (unable to assess whether inside or outside the disengagement area).

On 31 January, positioned in government-controlled Bohdanivka (41km south-west of Donetsk), west of the Petrivske disengagement area, the SMM noted 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.

In violation of withdrawal lines, the SMM saw a tank (T-64) on the north-western edge of government-controlled Mykolaivka (40km south of Donetsk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites, in government-controlled areas, the SMM saw five stationary tanks (T-72) near Soledar (79km north of Donetsk) and a tank (T-72) being transported north near Verkhnokamianka (84km north-west of Luhansk).                                                                        

The SMM revisited a heavy weapons permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region whose location corresponded with the withdrawal lines and noted that a tank (T-64) was again missing.

The SMM observed weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage does 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 government‑controlled areas beyond the respective withdrawal lines, the SMM observed six self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) and five mortars (2B9M Vasilek, 82mm).

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles and an anti-aircraft gun[2] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw an armoured personnel carrier (BMP-variant) near Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk), an armoured fire control vehicle (MT‑LBu variant) in Pervomaiske (17km north-west of Donetsk), and an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) being towed near Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk).

The SMM continued to observe mine hazard signs. On the gates of a compound on the north side of Myru Street in government-controlled Pervomaiske, the SMM saw a red square sign with a white skull-and-crossbones and the word “Mines” in Ukrainian printed on it in white lettering. The SMM observed tracks in the snow indicating vehicular traffic through the gates.

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repair works to water wells in “LPR”‑controlled Krasnyi Lyman (30km north-west of Luhansk) and the Petrivske pumping station in government-controlled Artema (26km north of Luhansk).                                                                                                             

The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. While at a border crossing point near Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk) for an hour, the SMM saw 30 cars (11 with Ukrainian, nine with Russian Federation and one with Lithuanian licence plates; nine with “DPR” plates), five covered cargo trucks (with Ukrainian licence plates) and a tanker truck (with Ukrainian licence plates) exiting Ukraine and 20 cars (five with Ukrainian, and 11 with Russian Federation licence plates; four with “DPR” plates) and a bus (with Russian Federation licence plates) entering Ukraine. While at a border crossing point near Ulianivske (61km south-east of Donetsk) for about 20 minutes, the SMM saw no cross-border traffic.

In Odessa, the SMM observed some 200 men and women – among them the Head of Regional State Administration of Odessa, the Head of the Odessa Regional Council and the city’s deputy mayor – laying flowers at the base of a Holocaust Victims Memorial in the Moldovanka neighbourhood of Odessa city in commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust. The SMM further observed a unit of military cadets, and the flags of Ukraine, the Odessa region, the Ukrainian National Guard and Israel. A military band played the Ukrainian national anthem.

In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a protest in front of the Cabinet of Ministers building. The Mission saw about 200 men (aged 55-75) blocking traffic near 4 Sadova Street and the entrance to the Cabinet of Ministers building. The protestors said they were retired law enforcement personnel and some were heard to be demanding higher pensions and better social conditions as well as a meeting with a government official. The SMM also saw about 70 police and 50 National Guard officers standing in front of the entrance to the building and two police buses parked in Mariinskyi Park. During its presence, the SMM did not observe further incidents.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, 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 Joint Centre for Control and Co-operation (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 12 January 2018.) 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.

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 told the SMM by phone 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 he had no information regarding demining activities over the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.[3]
• The SMM did 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. [3]

Conditional access:

• At a checkpoint on road H15 east of non-government-controlled Kreminets (16km south-west of Donetsk), a man wearing military-style clothing stopped the SMM and demanded to check an SMM trailer. The SMM was allowed to proceed only after its trailer was checked.

Other impediments:

• At a hospital in non-government-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk), medical staff refused to speak with the SMM without a “written permit” from a senior “DPR” member. 

[1] Please see the annexed table 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. Two SMM cameras continue to be tested until the end of February 2018.

[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.