Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 4 May 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including near Shevchenko, Debaltseve and Kreminets. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM continued to facilitate access to the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) for Voda Donbassa water company employees; it heard ceasefire violations in the area despite security guarantees. It also continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to high-voltage power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka. The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. It also continued to monitor the situation in Balakliia and monitored a gathering in Uzhhorod.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], including about 110 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 1,240 explosions).

On the evening and night of 3-4 May, the SMM camera at the DFS (15km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, 16 projectiles in flight from north to south, an undetermined explosion, nine projectiles in flight from north to south, followed by totals of six undetermined explosions and 95 projectiles (89 from north to south, six from south to north), all 1-3km west.

On the evening of 3 May, while in Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard and saw 18 airbursts of an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) and heard 15 undetermined explosions and seven shots of small-arms fire, all 5-12km south-west and north-west.  

On the evening and night of 3-4 May, while in Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard four undetermined explosions, ten explosions assessed as impacts of 120mm mortar rounds, two explosions assessed as impacts of rounds of an undetermined weapon, 140 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire and about 15 minutes of uncountable and overlapping heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 6-7km east, south-east and south-south-east. At the same location on the morning of 4 May, the SMM heard four undetermined explosions 2-3km east.

On the morning of 4 May, positioned 1km north-west of Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM heard 18 undetermined explosions and 25 bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all at undetermined distances south-east.

During the day on 4 May, positioned in Avdiivka (government-controlled, 17km north of Donetsk) for about six hours, the SMM heard 27 undetermined explosions and about five minutes of continuous, uncountable and overlapping small-arms fire, and heard and saw two airbursts of an undetermined weapon, all 2-5km east-south-east, south-east and south.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including 51 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (two explosions).

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 of 27 April, the SMM camera in Petrivske recorded six undetermined explosions and two bursts of small-arms fire, all 0.1-5km south, west-north-west and north-west (assessed as outside the disengagement area). On the morning of 4 May, positioned in Bohdanivka (government-controlled, 41km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM heard eight undetermined explosions at undetermined distances south and east-south-east (assessed as outside the Petrivske disengagement area).

During the night of 3-4 May, while on the eastern edge of the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM heard three undetermined explosions 3-5km south-west and west (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

On the morning of 4 May, positioned near the Zolote disengagement area, the SMM heard 39 undetermined explosions 5-10km east and south (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

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, the SMM saw a mortar (type undetermined) on the eastern edge of Mariupol, six multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) (BM-21 Grad, 122mm) in Topolyne (19km north-west of Mariupol) and 12 self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika 122mm) near Kremenivka (27km north-west of Mariupol).

In a non-government-controlled area, the SMM saw five tanks (T-72) – three stationary and two moving – in a row of trees near Bezimenne (30km east of Mariupol).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites in government-controlled areas, the SMM saw two surface-to-air missile systems (9K37) near Topolyne, three surface-to-air missile systems (9K33 Osa) near Kasianivka (22km north of Mariupol).

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 non-government-controlled areas, the SMM saw that six towed howitzers (2A65, Msta-B, 152mm), four MLRS (BM-21), three self-propelled howitzers (2S1) and nine towed howitzers (D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm) were again missing.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles[2] in the security zone. In government-controlled-areas, the SMM saw an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP variant) south of Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk), an armoured personal carrier (BTR-4) near Kamianka (20km north of Donetsk) and five IFVs (BMP-1) near Popasna (69km west of Luhansk).

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to high-voltage power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka (non-government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk).

The SMM continued to facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the DFS in order to keep the station operational and monitored demining activities around the DFS. Positioned 2km west of Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk), in Avdiivka, in Kruta Balka (non-government-controlled, 16km north of Donetsk) and 1.3km south-south-east of Kamianka, the SMM heard ceasefire violations in the area (see ceasefire violations table below) despite security guarantees having been provided.

The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. While at a border crossing point near Novoazovsk (102km south-east of Donetsk) for about 25 minutes, the SMM saw four vehicles (one with Russian Federation license plates and three with “DPR” plates) enter Ukraine.

While at a pedestrian border crossing point near Novoborovytsi (79 km south of Luhansk) for about 30 minutes, the SMM observed no pedestrians crossing the border.

The SMM continued to monitor the situation in Balakliia (74km south-east of Kharkiv) after explosions at the ammunition storage depot that occurred on 3 May (see SMM Daily Report 4 May 2018). The SMM did not observe any damage to civilian infrastructure in the area where the storage depot is located and saw that the situation in Balakliia was calm.

On 3 May the SMM observed a gathering in Uzhhorod. In front of the Zakarpattia Regional State Administration building at 10 Zahorska Street the SMM saw about 250 people (mixed ages and genders) carrying Ukrainian flags and banners reading “Together”. A member of the local population told the SMM that the protest was against the merger of several local villages with Uzhhorod city. The SMM saw ten law enforcement officers present. It observed a calm situation.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, 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 (SMM Daily Report 4 May 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:

• Ukrainian Armed Forces denied the SMM access to a military compound near Shevchenko (government controlled, 19km north-west of Mariupol).

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 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 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.
• The SMM did not travel across the bridge in Shchastia due to the presence of mines. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM by phone that there had been no demining in the area in the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.

Conditional:

• An armed member of the armed formations stopped an SMM patrol at a checkpoint on road H15 east of Kreminets (16km south-west of Donetsk) and requested to see the inside of the SMM’s trailer. The patrol was permitted to proceed only after complying with the request.

Delay:

• Two armed members of the armed formations stopped an SMM patrol on road M03 near Debaltseve (58km north-east of Donetsk) telling it that there was demining activity in the area. The patrol was allowed to pass after about 90 minutes.

[1] For a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table. The SMM cameras at the entry-exit checkpoints in Marinka and Maiorsk were not operational during the reporting period.

* 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.