Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 25 March 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number in Luhansk region between the evenings of 23 and 24 March, compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 24 and 25 March, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous 24 hours and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded an explosion inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and seven projectiles in flight inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including, again, near Izvaryne, an area close to the border with the Russian Federation, and at a checkpoint near Kreminets.* The SMM observed demining activities near Sartana. The Mission continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM followed up on reports of water shortages in non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations[1], including, however, fewer explosions (about 125), between the evenings of 23 and 24 March, compared with the previous reporting period (about 220 explosions). Between the evenings of 24 and 25 March, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations, including, however, more explosions (about 220), compared with the previous 24 hours.

On the night of 23-24 March, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) recorded an undetermined explosion 0.5-2km south. On the evening and night of 24-25 March, the same camera recorded, in sequence, an undetermined explosion, a projectile in flight from east to west and three undetermined explosions, followed by totals of 45 undetermined explosions and 126 projectiles (55 from east to west and 71 from west to east), all 0.5-2km south.

On the evening of 23 March, the SMM camera 1km south-west of Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded 55 projectiles in flight from west to east, all 1-4km north. On the evening and night of 24-25 March, the same camera recorded, in sequence, 22 projectiles from east to west and four projectiles from west to east, followed by a total of 16 projectiles (five from east to west and 11 from west to east), all 1-4km north.

During the day on 24 March, positioned at the railway station in Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk) for about five hours, the SMM heard five undetermined explosions and 20 shots of small-arms fire 2-3km north-west. During the day on 25 March, positioned 2.5km west of Yasynuvata for about two hours, the SMM heard about 60 bursts and shots of small-arms fire and about 25 undetermined explosions, all 1-5km at directions ranging from south-west to north. On the same day, positioned about 1km north-west of the railway station in Yasynuvata, the SMM heard six undetermined explosions and about 25 shots and bursts of small-arms fire, all 2km west.

Positioned 5km east-south-east of Druzhba (government-controlled, 45km north-east of Donetsk) for about an hour and a half, the SMM heard four undetermined explosions 2-3km north-north-east.

Positioned 2km south-east of Lebedynske (government-controlled, 16km east of Mariupol), the SMM heard about 190 shots of small-arms fire and three undetermined explosions at undetermined distances at directions ranging from east to north.

On the evening and night of 23-24 March, while in Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard about 90 undetermined explosions and 370 bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 3-8km south-east and south-west. On the evening and night of 24-25 March, while in the same location, the SMM heard about 26 undetermined explosions and 160 bursts and shots of small-arms fire 3-12km at directions ranging from east to west-south-west. During the day on 25 March, while in the same location, the SMM heard three undetermined explosions and about 80 shots and bursts of small-arms and heavy-machine-gun fire, all 3-12km at directions ranging from east-south-east to west-south-west.

During the day on 25 March, positioned on the south-western edge of Avdiivka (government-controlled, 17km north of Donetsk) for about four hours, the SMM heard about 20 undetermined explosions and about 50 bursts of small-arms and heavy-machine-gun fire, all 2-7km at directions ranging from east-south-east to south-east.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations between the evenings of 23 and 24 March compared with the previous reporting period (one explosion). Between the evenings of 24 and 25 March, the SMM recorded no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region.

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.*

On the evening and night of 22-23 March, the SMM camera in Petrivske recorded seven projectiles in flight from east to west 1-2km south (assessed as inside the disengagement area).

While on the eastern edge of Stanytsia Luhanska during the night of 23-24 March, the SMM heard an undetermined explosion 4-5km south-south-east (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

During the day on 24 March, positioned at the Prince Ihor Monument south-east of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (15km north-east of Luhansk), the SMM heard an undetermined explosion 1-1.5km north (assessed as inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area).

During the day on 24 March, positioned about 5km east of Petrivske, the SMM heard about 30 undetermined explosions 2-3km south (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

During the day on 24 March, positioned near the Zolote disengagement area, the SMM observed a calm situation.

During the day on 25 March, 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.

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites, in government-controlled areas, the SMM saw on 24 March ten stationary tanks (T-64) in Rubizhne (84km north-west of Luhansk) and two tanks (T-72) on flatbed trucks in Sieverodonetsk (74km north-west of Luhansk) heading south. A mid-range SMM unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted on 23 March six tanks (T-64) near Loskutivka (72km west of Luhansk). On 25 March, the SMM saw nine self-propelled howitzers (2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm) loaded on stationary wagons at the railway station in Rubizhne.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles (ACVs), anti-aircraft guns[2] and other indications of military-type presence in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw on 24 March an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1) near Popasna. On the same day, the SMM saw freshly dug trenches (approximately 50-70m of length) near a school building in Pavlopil (26km north-east of Mariupol). On 25 March, the SMM saw four IFVs (BMP-1) in Bobrove (56km north-west of Luhansk), two IFVs (BMP-1) on the northern edge of the Zolote disengagement area and an ACV near Bohdanivka (41km south-west of Donetsk).

In non-government-controlled areas, an SMM mini-UAV spotted on 23 March four command vehicles (three MT-LBu and one BMP-variant) and two APCs (one MT-LB and one BTR-80) on the western outskirts of Luhansk city as well as an APC (BTR-80) and an IFV (BMP-1) on the northern outskirts the city. On 24 March, the SMM saw an APC (BTR-80) and an IFV (BMP-2) parked in front of a residential house in Uzhivka (formerly Leninske, 24km north-east of Mariupol) as well as newly dug trenches extending for about 50m on both sides of road E58 near Bezimenne (30km east of Mariupol).

The SMM saw demining activities – ten people wearing demining suits and vehicles of an international demining organization – beside a road north-west of Sartana (government-controlled, 15km north-east of Mariupol).

On 24 and 25 March, the SMM continued to facilitate access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station to keep the station operational and monitored the security situation about 1km south-east from the station, where it observed a calm situation. (See SMM Daily Report 24 March 2018.)

The SMM followed up on reports of water shortages in non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region. On 23 March, residents of Metalist (7km north-west of Luhansk), Vesela Hora (16km north of Luhansk), Pryvitne (11km north of Luhansk), Obozne (19km north of Luhansk) and Shyshkove (10km north-west of Luhansk) told the SMM that they had not had a water supply since noon on 23 March. Representatives of the water companies Popasna Vodokanal and Luhansk Vodokanal told the SMM separately that the water supply had stopped due to a leakage in the main 900mm pipeline in an area about 2km north of Obozne. On 24 March, a resident of Metalist told the SMM that the water supply to the village had resumed on the evening of 24 March.

The SMM visited three border areas not under government control. On 24 March, while at a border crossing point near Novoborovytsi (79km south of Luhansk) for about an hour, the SMM saw a man (aged about 30) and a woman (aged about 50) entering Ukraine and no traffic or people leaving Ukraine.

On 25 March, while at a border crossing point near Izvaryne (52km south-east of Luhansk) for five minutes, the SMM saw 21 pedestrians and two buses with Ukrainian licence plates and approximately 60 passengers on board each exiting Ukraine and no traffic entering Ukraine. Again, the SMM was told to leave the area by a member of the armed formations.* (See SMM Daily Report 24 March 2018.)

On 25 March, while at a border crossing point near Sievernyi (50kmn south-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw nine pedestrians entering Ukraine and three pedestrians 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 SMM Daily Report 22 March 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.

Denial of access:

• On 25 March, at a checkpoint on road H-15 east of Kreminets (non-government-controlled, 16km south-west of Donetsk), when the SMM attempted to approach a group of civilians on foot, an unarmed “DPR” member told the SMM to leave the area, saying that it was not allowed to be closer than 500m from the checkpoint.
• On 25 March, while present at a border crossing point in Izvaryne, an armed member of the armed formations demanded that the SMM leave the area.

Related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• On 24 and 25 March, 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 on both occasions.[3]
• On 24 and 25 March, 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 demining in the area during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC on both occasions.4
• On 24 and 25 March, 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 formation 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 on both occasions.

[1] For a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table.

[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.