Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 26 April 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded similar numbers of ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission observed damage to civilian properties caused by shelling in Zolote-5. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areasas well as at a checkpoint near Kreminets.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Kostiantynivka, Bakhmut,Vodiane, Bohoiavlenka andPopasna. The Mission saw anti-tank mines near Novotoshkivske and Zholobok for the first time and, again, in a non-government-controlled area south of the bridge near Shchastia. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka, and to facilitate access to the Donetsk Filtration Station for Voda Donbassa employees. It also facilitated damage assessments carried out by Vodafone employees in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region.The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. The Mission monitored two gatherings in Kyiv and followed up on reports of damage to two bank office branches in Lviv. The SMM continued to monitor the situation at a church in Ptycha, Rivne region, following reports of an incident on 2 April.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations[1],including about 440 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period(about 430 explosions).

On the evening and night of 25-26 April, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, four projectiles in flight from south to north, an illumination flare (trajectory undetermined), two projectiles from south to north and five projectiles from north to south, followed by totals of 13 undetermined explosions, an illumination flare (trajectory undetermined) and 52 projectiles from north to south, all 1.5-3km south. During the day on 26 April, positioned at the DFS for four and a half hours while facilitating the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the station (see below), the SMM heard eight undetermined explosions and 25 shots of small-arms fire 1-4km south-south-east and south-south-west and four undetermined explosions 2-4km north-west, despite the provision of security guarantees.

The same day, positioned 2km west of Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk), about 1km south of the DFS, for four and a half hours, the SMM heard three undetermined explosions and about 30 shots of small-arms fire, all 2-5km south-west and west, and about 90 shots of small-arms fire 3km south-east. Positioned in Kruta Balka (non-government-controlled, 16km north of Donetsk), 1.3km north-east of the DFS, for five and a half hours, the SMM heard two undetermined explosions and about 40 shots of small-arms fire 2-4km south and an undetermined explosion and about ten shots and bursts of small-arms fire 2-5km south-west, west and north-west. Positioned in Avdiivka (government-controlled, 17km north of Donetsk), about 4km west of the DFS, for about five hours, the SMM heard 18 undetermined explosions and 25 shots and bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 2-3km at directions ranging from east to south.

On the evening of 25 April, while in Debaltseve (non-government-controlled, 58km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard almost 190 undetermined explosions over a 70-minute period 5km west. During the same 70-minute period, while in Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 50 undetermined explosions 4-6km south-east; later, it also heard 60 undetermined explosions 4-6km south-east.

On the evening of 25 April, while in Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard and saw nine explosions assessed as outgoing rounds of infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1) cannon (73mm) fire 5-7km south-west and west. While at the same location, it also heard 30 undetermined explosions, five airbursts of anti-aircraft-gun fire and 80 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, as well as a minute of uncountable and overlapping airbursts of anti-aircraft-gun fire and 11 minutes of uncountable and overlapping bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 5-7km at directions ranging from south-west to north.

During the day on 26 April, positioned in Novohnativka (government-controlled, 40km south of Donetsk), the SMM heard four undetermined explosions and about ten shots of small-arms fire at undetermined distances north-west, and about 30 undetermined explosions and ten shots of small-arms fire, all at undetermined distances north-east, east and south-east.  Positioned 5km north-west of Starohnativka (government-controlled, 51km south of Donetsk), the SMM heard two undetermined explosions and over 100 shots and bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all at undetermined distances west and north-west.

The same day, positioned in Bezimenne (non-government-controlled, 30km east of Mariupol), the SMM heard 14 explosions assessed as outgoing rounds of undetermined weapons at undetermined distances west-north-west.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations, including, however, fewer explosions (about 80), compared with the previous reporting period(about 145 explosions).

On the evening of 25 April, while in Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, non-government-controlled, 50km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard about 70 explosions of artillery rounds 8-15km west-south-west.

During the day on 26 April, positioned in Molodizhne (non-government-controlled, 63km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard over 50 shots and bursts of IFV (BMP-2) cannon (30mm), heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 2-3km north-north-west.

The SMM observed fresh damage to civilian properties caused by shelling on the south-eastern edge of Zolote-5/Mykhailivika(non-government-controlled, 61km north-west of Luhansk). At 5A Myru Street, the SMM sawshrapnel damage to the west-facing side of a five-storey apartment building andfour broken west-facing windows on itsfirst and second floors. The SMM also saw a fresh crater 1m north of the west-facing side of the building and an 82mm mortar tailfin inside the crater, assessed as caused by an 82m mortar round fired from a northerly direction.

At 20 Lizy Chaikinoi Street, the SMM saw two broken west-facing windows of a two-storey building as well as shrapnel damage to a refrigerator and the wall of a kitchen inside the building. About 10m west of the west-facing side of the building, it saw a fresh crater with two remnants of an 82 mortar tailfin inside, assessed as caused by an 82m mortar round fired from a northerly direction. At 11 and 19 Lizy Chaikinoi Street, it also saw three broken west-facing windows of two other two-storey buildings (two at the former address and one at the latter), located 20m and 40m north of the abovementioned building, respectively. At 18 Lizy Chaikinoi Street, the SMM saw a fresh hole in the west-facing roof of a building and a collapsed chimney under the roof, assessed as caused by a round of an undetermined of a weapon fired from a northerly direction. 

Nine residents of the above four buildings on Lizy Chaikinoi Streettold the SMM separately that shelling had occurred between 20:00 and 00:00 on 25 April and that they had heard impacts to their respective buildings between 22:00 and 23:30.In a government-controlled neighbourhood of nearby Zolote-4/Rodina (60km north-west of Luhansk), west of Zolote-5/Mykhailivika, two residents told the SMM that they had heard explosions nearby between23:00 and 04:00 on 25-26 April.

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 hardwareof 21 September 2016. The SMM’s access remained restricted, but the Mission was able to partially monitor them.* 

On the evening of 25 April, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded, in sequence, a projectile in flight from south to north and three projectiles from south-west to north-east, followed by totals of six undetermined explosions and four projectiles (two from south-west to north-east, one from north-east to south-west and one from north to south) and five shots of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 1.5-10km north-east, east and south-east (assessed as outside the disengagement area). The same camera also recorded three projectiles from south-east to north-west 4.5-6km south-west (assessed as outside the disengagement area), followed by a projectile from north-east to south-west 3-5km east (assessed as inside the disengagement area).

During the day on 26April, positioned near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Petrivske 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 in government-controlled areas, on 25 April an SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted six self-propelled howitzers (2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm) at a railyard in Kostiantynivka (60km north of Donetsk). On 26 April, the SMM saw astationary self-propelled howitzer (2S3)at the train station in Kostiantynivkaand 13towed howitzers (2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm) and 12 self-propelled howitzers (2S1Gvozdika, 122mm) stationary at the railway station in Bakhmut (formerly Artemivsk, 67km north of Donetsk)(for previous observations in both areas, see SMM Daily Report 26 April 2018). The SMM also saw 12 towed howitzers (2A65 Msta-B, 152mm) and four anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm), all stationary near Vodiane (42km south-west of Donetsk); 12 stationary self-propelled howitzers (2S1) east of Bohoiavlenka (46km south-west of Donetsk); and a surface-to-air missile system (9K35)on the southern edge of Popasna (69km west of Luhansk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside of designated storage sites in government-controlled areas, the SMM saw 12 anti-tank guns (MT-12)each attached to an armoured personal carrier (APC) (MT-LB) atthe railway station in Rubizhne (84 north-west of Luhansk).

The SMM observed weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage did 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 noted that six towed howitzers (D-30 Lyagushka, 122m), three anti-tank guns (MT-12) and 28 mortars (12 M-120 Molot, 120mm; 15 2B11 Sani, 120mm; and one BM-37, 82mm) were again missing. In a government-controlled-area, the SMM noted that six towed howitzers(2A65) and six anti-tank guns (MT-12) were again missing.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehiclesand an anti-aircraft gun[2]in the security zone. In government-controlled-areas on 25 April, an SMM mini-UAV spotted two IFVs (one BMP-1 and one BMP-2), an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) and a trench digger (PZM-2) in Artema (26km north of Luhansk). On 26 April, the SMM saw an armoured recovery vehicle(BREM-1) near Sukha Balka (36km north of Donetsk), an APC (BTR variant) east of Novokalynove (29km north-west of Donetsk), an IFV (BMP-1) in Bohdanivka (41km south-west of Donetsk), an APC (MT-LB) and 12 IFVs (11 BMP-1 and one BMP variant)near Popasna and an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) near Teple (31km north of Luhansk).

In a non-government-controlled area on 24 April, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted a probable IFV (type undetermined) in Ozerianivka (35km north-east of Donetsk).

The SMM continued to observe mines andunexploded ordnance (UXO). On 25 April, an SMM mini-UAV spotted at least 100 anti-tank mines (TM-62) laid in two rows in a field about 2km east of Novotoshkivske (government-controlled, 53km west of Luhansk) and at least 100 anti-tank mines (TM-62) laid in two rows in a field about 1km north-east of Zholobok (non-government-controlled, 47km west of Luhansk), none of which were present in imagery from 13 November 2017. The same day, an SMM mini-UAV spotted 62 anti-tank mines (type undetermined) laid across and along the side of road H-21 in a non-government-controlled area south of the bridge near Shchastia (government-controlled, 20km north of Luhansk): 42 mines in six rows on the western lane of the road about 1.2km south-east of the bridge; 14 mines 500m further south-east, five of which were laid on the western side of the road; and six mines further 700m south-east (see SMM Daily Report 26 April 2018).

On 26 April, the SMM saw for the first time a tailfin of a mortar round (type undetermined) embedded in the tarmac of road H-20 on the north-eastern edge of Kamianka (government-controlled, 20km north of Donetsk) (On 22 April, the SMM observed a UXO piece in this area, which was subsequently removed by Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel. See SMM Daily Report 24 April 2018.)

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka (non-government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk). On 26 April, the SMM also facilitated damage assessments carried out by Vodafone employees in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region, including in Chystiakove (formerly Torez, 62km east of Donetsk), Khartsyzk (26km east of Donetsk) and Shakhtarsk (50km east of Donetsk) (see SMM Daily Report 26 April 2018).

The SMM continued to facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa employeesto the DFS in order to keep the station operational. During the day on 26 April, positioned at the DFS, in Avdiivka and Kruta Balka,and 2km west of Yasynuvata, the SMM recordedover 260 ceasefire violations (see above), despite the provision of security guarantees. The SMM sawan unexploded under-barrel grenade on the ground near a garage in the western part of the DFS premises and a surrounding area of the grenade subsequently being marked with striped tape.

The SMM visited twoborder areas outside government control.While at a border crossing point near Ulianivske (61km south-east of Donetsk)for 15 minutes, the SMM observed no traffic or people entering or exiting Ukraine. While at Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk) for 15 minutes, the SMM saw 38 covered cargotrucks (24 with Ukrainianand five with Russian Federationlicenceplates, and nine with “DPR” plates)exiting Ukraine.

In Kyiv, the SMMmonitored two gatherings. In front of the Embassy of the Russian Federation at 27 Povitroflotskyi Avenue, the SMM saw 12 young people (men and women) gathered, some of whom were carrying banners displaying names of individuals who they said had gone missing in Crimea. There were eight National Guard officers present. The gathering ended without incident.

At 2 Chornobylska Street, at a monument dedicated to the victims of the Chornobyl disaster, the SMM saw about 500 people (men and women of various age groups) gathered in commemoration of the 32nd anniversary of the disaster. The Mission saw some of them holding banners with messages critical of the Government and pictures of victims. Officials laid flowers at the monument. There were a police bus and ten police officers nearby. During its presence, the SMM did not observe any incidents.

In Lviv, the SMM followed up on reports of damage, including broken windows and an attempted arson attack,totwo Forward Bank office branches. On 26 April, the SMM saw a wooden board covering a street-facing window of a Forward Bank office branch at 34 Volodymyra Velykoho Street and a broken window in another Forward Bank office branch at 15 Valova Street. The SMM saw that both office branches were open and that customers were regularly entering and exiting their premises. Police told the SMM that a window of the branch at 34 Volodymyra Velykoho Street had been broken and that an attempted arson at the branch office at 15 Valova Street had been reported. Police added that an investigation into the incident had been launched.

In Rivne region, the SMM continued to monitor the situation at a church building in Ptycha(148km north-east of Lviv), following reports of an incident on 2 April. (See SMM Daily Report 4 April 2018.) TheSMM observed that the church doors continued to be sealed. It also saw 12 police officers and two police cars nearby. Local police told the SMM that the situation had been calm since the Mission’s last visit to the church on 10 April (see SMM Daily Report 11 April 2018). While present, the SMM observed a calm situation.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa,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, 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 (for example see SMM Daily Report 23 April 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:

Related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO: 

• 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 demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.[3]
• The SMMwas 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 no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.4
• 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.

Conditional access

• On two occasions, ata checkpoint on road H-15 east of Kreminets (non-government-controlled,16km south-west of Donetsk), an armed member of the armed formationsallowed the SMM to proceed only after checking its trailer.

[1]For a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table. The SMM cameras at the entry-exit checkpoints in Marinka, Maiorsk and Pyshchevyk were 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.