Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 1 March 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with more explosions in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission observed fresh damage caused by shelling to civilian residences in Dokuchaievsk. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted in Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote and elsewhere, including, once again, at a border area with the Russian Federation in Luhansk region.* In areas outside of government control, the SMM observed heavy weapons as missing from permanent storage sites. The Mission visited four border areas not under government control. In Uzhhorod, the Mission continued to follow up on reports of an explosion at the building where the office of the Zakarpattia Hungarian Union is located. The SMM observed a vandalized monument in Kherson. The SMM observed a gathering near the Parliament building in Kyiv.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], including about 72 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 500 explosions).

In continuation of ceasefire violations recorded on the early evening of 28 February (see SMM Daily Report 1 March 2018), the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) recorded 24 undetermined explosions and 152 projectiles in flight (117 from west to east, 34 from north-west to south-east, and one from east to west), all 0.5-3km south.

On the evening of 28 February, while in Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard ten undetermined explosions as well as bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 3-5km south-east.

The same evening, while in Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 15 undetermined explosions and about 20 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 5-7km south-south-west. On 1 March, positioned on the north-west edge of Horlivka, the SMM heard four outgoing explosions and an undetermined explosion, all 4-6km east.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations but more explosions (35), compared with the previous reporting period (three explosions).

Positioned in Lysychansk (government-controlled, 75km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 35 explosions assessed as outgoing infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1, 73mm) rounds 4-5km south-south-east, assessed as live-fire training exercise.

On 27 February, the SMM followed up on reports of damage to civilian residences caused by shelling in Dokuchaievsk (non-government-controlled, 30km south-west of Donetsk). At 75V Lenina Street, the SMM saw that a window on the third and fourth floor on the west-south-west facing side of an apartment building were damaged: there were deep holes in the wooden frame of the window on the third floor and in the outer window sills of both windows, which the SMM both assessed as caused by shrapnel. The glass in the window on the third floor was broken. The SMM assessed the damage as caused by rounds of an undetermined weapon fired from a south-south-westerly direction. A man in his fifties told the SMM that at around 19:00 on 26 February, he had been at his apartment on the third floor when he heard an explosion, which had shattered his window and damaged the window sill of the apartment above as well.

At 108 Lenina Street, the SMM saw that two broken windows of two balconies on the west-facing side of the first floor of a five-storey apartment building had been covered in plastic film and foil. The lower part of the balcony walls had damage, which the SMM assessed as fresh and caused by shrapnel. The SMM could not determine the type of weapon used or the direction of fire. A female resident in her fifties of one of the apartments on the first floor told the SMM that she had been home at around 19:00 on 26 February at 19:00 when she heard two explosions and that the second explosion had damaged her and her neighbour’s balcony at the same time.

The SMM continued to monitor the disengagement process and to pursue full access to the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk), Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) and Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 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.*

Positioned near the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote, the SMM noted 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.

The SMM revisited two permanent storage sites in an area outside government control in Donetsk region, whose locations were beyond the respective withdrawal lines, and noted that ten tanks (three T-64 and seven T-72) were again missing from one site. The second site continued to be abandoned, and the SMM noted ten tanks (seven T-64 and three T-72) as missing.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles[2] and an anti-aircraft gun in the security zone. In government-controlled areas near Oleksandropillia (71km west of Luhansk), an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted an armoured recovery vehicle (BTS-4A) near an agricultural facility on 28 February. Aerial imagery revealed the presence of a probable military-type armoured vehicle near Semyhiria (58km north-east of Donetsk) on 27 February.

In non-government-controlled areas, the SMM saw a military-type truck towing an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (MT-LB) north on road T-0504 on the south-western outskirts of Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, 50km west of Luhansk). Near Donetsk city, the SMM saw a combat engineering vehicle on a T-64 chassis escorted by two vehicles, one of which had military-type (black) plates. On 28 March, in Donetsk city, the SMM saw an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) mounted on a ZIL-130 military-type truck. Aerial imagery revealed the presence of seven military-type armoured vehicles near Sarabash (formerly Komunarivka, 26km south of Donetsk) on 26 February.

On 28 February, the SMM visited four border areas not under government control. While at a border crossing point near Izvaryne (52km south-east of Luhansk) for about 15 minutes, the SMM saw 12 cars (ten with Ukrainian and one with Russian Federation licence plates, and one with “LPR” plates) and 20 pedestrians (12 women, eight men, all 20-50 years old) exiting Ukraine, as well as nine pedestrians (four males and five females, 35-45 years old) and a bus with “Kirovsk-Moscow” written in Russian in the window (with Ukrainian licence plates) entering Ukraine. While present, a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.*

While at a border crossing point near Verkhnoharasymivka (57km south-east of Luhansk) for about 35 minutes, the SMM saw a pedestrian (female, around 30 years old) exiting Ukraine and two pedestrians (a male and a female, around 25 years old) entering Ukraine.

While at a border crossing point near Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk) for over two hours, the SMM saw 69 trucks (39 with Ukrainian, 11 with Belarusian, three with Russian Federation and two with Lithuanian licence plates, and 14 with “DPR” plates), 20 cars (seven with Ukrainian, six with Russian Federation and one with Armenian licence plates, and six with “DPR” plates) and a passenger bus with “Moscow-Donetsk” written in Russian in the window (with Russian Federation licence plates) and 45 passengers on-board exiting Ukraine, as well as ten cars (seven with Ukrainian and two with Russian Federation licence plates, and one with “DPR” plates) entering Ukraine.

While at a border crossing point in Novoazovsk (101km south-east of Donetsk) for 15 minutes, the SMM observed nine cargo trucks and five trucks with covered trailers (typically used for agricultural production) exiting Ukraine, as well as a car (Russian Federation licence plates) entering Ukraine.

In Uzhhorod (182km west of Ivano-Frankivsk), in Zakarpattia region, the SMM continued to follow up on an explosion at the building where the office of the Zakarpattia Hungarian Union is located. (See SMM Daily Report 1 March 2018.) On 1 March, at 11:00, the SMM visited the building at 5 Pravoslavna Embankment and observed that the interior of a room on the ground floor was burnt. The SMM also saw scorched furniture and two broken windows, one of which had been previously damaged (see SMM Daily Report 6 February 2018) and reportedly repaired thereafter, as well as debris being removed and ongoing repair works. The SMM spoke to a resident of an apartment on the third floor of the building hit by the explosion (man, 40 years old) and to a resident (woman, 70 years old) of an adjacent building, who both stated that the explosion occurred between 02:45 and 03:00 in the morning of 27 February. The first resident said that the fire brigade had arrived at the site five minutes after the explosion, followed by a police patrol five minutes later.

On 1 March, the SMM observed a vandalized monument in Kherson. The SMM observed swastikas and the word “Russia” in Russian language spray-painted in red on the monument dedicated to the “Glory to Ukraine,” located on Perekopska Street.

In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a gathering at the tent encampment on Hrushevskoho Street near the Parliament building. At around 10:30, the SMM saw a group of about 50 people (mostly men, 20-60 years old), some of them wearing “Donbas Battalion” insignias, camouflage fatigues and balaclavas, standing outside tents set up on Hrushevskoho Street. The two entrances to the camp along Hrushevskoho Street remained barricaded with tyres and improvised wooden obstacles. The SMM observed some of the protesters holding long, pointed wooden sticks and carrying two small boxes of what the SMM assessed to be about 18 Molotov cocktails. The SMM saw at least 100 National Guard officers in riot gear, 100 police officers, police buses, two National Guard ambulances and a fire truck near the Parliament building. The SMM did not observe any incidents while present.

The SMM continued monitoring in Odessa, Lviv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, 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-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 below). 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:               

• At a border crossing point near Izvaryne, an “LPR” member, citing orders from his “superiors”, again told the SMM that it had to leave the area.

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 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]

[1] For a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table. The SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in Marinka was not operational during the reporting period.

[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.