Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 18 May 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM observed fresh damage caused by shelling in residential areas in Luhansk city, Sakhanka and Svitlodarsk. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near all three disengagement areas. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including in Shevchenko.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Vidrodzhennia and Klynove. The Mission facilitated access to assess damage to the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to high-voltage power lines near Almazna and to a water pipeline in Obozne. In Kyiv and Kharkiv, the Mission monitored gatherings marking the 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatars. 

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], including about 250 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period(about 900 explosions). Most of the ceasefire violations were recorded in the area west of Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk).

On the evening and night of 17-18 May, while in Horlivka, the SMM heard about 140 undetermined explosions (including about 40 assessed as artillery fire and about 60 assessed as tank fire) as well as bursts and shots of anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm), heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 1-7km at westerly directions. The following afternoon, while in the same location, the SMM heard about 30 explosions (including one assessed as artillery fire and three assessed as tank fire), all 3-5km south-west.

On the evening and night of 17-18 May, while in Svitlodarsk (government-controlled 57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard six undetermined explosions 3-5km south-east and about 20 undetermined explosions 5-10km south-west and south-south-west, as well as about 80 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire 3-5km south-east. The following day, the SMM recorded two undetermined explosions 8-10km south-west and four undetermined explosions 4-7km south-east and east-south-east.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including, however, more explosions (about 80), compared with the previous reporting period(15 explosions).

The SMM saw fresh damage caused by shelling in residential areas of Luhansk city, Svitlodarsk and Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol). The SMM saw a 10-15cm wide-hole in the ceiling of a two-storey shed 10m west of a house at 26 Vyshneva Street in Luhansk city, and another 40-50cm hole in the shed’s west-facing wall at ground level. The SMM assessed that the shed had been struck by a projectile fired from an easterly direction.                                                                                      

On the grounds of School No. 11 at66a Molodizhnyi Boulevard in Svitlodarsk, the SMM observed a 55cm-deep crater 15m west of the school building and fresh shrapnel scarring to a tree 9m north-west of the crater. 

In Sakhanka, the SMM assessed seven fresh impact sites. At 14 Konstytutsii Street, the SMM observed two fresh craters: one in a garden 15m south of a single-family house and the other 15m south-east of the house. About 10m north of the second crater, the SMM observed shrapnel fragments embedded in the wooden wall of a nearby shed. The SMM assessed the damage to have been caused by an 82mm mortar round. About 10m west of a house at 18 Konstytutsii Street, the SMM saw a bent metal fence post and several holes through the fence’s chain-links. The SMM assessed the holes to have been caused by an 82mm mortar round fired from a south-westerly direction. About 5m west of the house, in a garden, the SMM saw another fresh crater and two shattered west-facing windows. The SMM assessed the crater to have been caused by an 82mm mortar round. North of the house, the SMM saw two more fresh impact sites – one on a road and the other on a piece of farming equipment – the first of which it assessed as caused by an 82mm mortar round fired from an undetermined direction, the second from a 122mm artillery round fired from a south-westerly direction. Lastly, the SMM saw that the lower half of the north-west-facing corner of a house at 20 Konstytutsii Street had been destroyed, with fragments of brick and masonry scattered about; the lower half of a nearby doorframe was also destroyed. The SMM assessed the damage to have been caused by an 82mm mortar round fired from a south-westerly direction. Seven residents of the village told the SMM that shelling had occurred between 09:30 and 11:00 on 17 May and had caused only property damage. 

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.* 

In the early morning of 9 May, the SMM camera in Petrivske recorded three projectiles in flight from east to west, 5-10km south and assessed as outside the disengagement area.

In the early morning of 18 May, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded a burst of heavy machine-gun fire fired in a southerly direction 4.5-8km south-south-west and 14 explosions assessed as impacts (including 12 assessed as impacts of artillery rounds) 4-7km south-south-east, assessed as outside the disengagement area.

During the day on 18 May, positioned in the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska, the SMM heard four undetermined explosions of mortar rounds and two bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 2km south-south-east, as well as one undetermined mortar round explosion 7-10km south, all assessed as outside the disengagement area. The same day, positioned near the Petrivske disengagement area, the SMM observed a calm situation.

The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons in implementation of the Memorandum and the Package of Measures and its Addendum.

In violation of withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas, an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted eight self-propelled howitzers (three 2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm, and five 2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm) near Vidrodzhennia (66km north-east of Donetsk) on 17 May. On 18 May, the SMM saw an anti-tank guided missile system (9P148 Konkurs, 135mm) near Klynove (68km north-east of Donetsk).

Beyond the respective withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites on 18 May, the SMM observed nine self-propelled howitzers (2S1) near Kalynove (formerly Kalinine, government-controlled, 65km south-west of Donetsk).

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles[2] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, an SMM long-range UAV spotted two armoured reconnaissance vehicles (BRDM-2) near Prychepylivka (50km north-west of Luhansk) and a possible armoured personnel carrier near Vidrodzhennia on 17 May. The same day, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) and an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1) near Prychepylivka as well as an IFV (BMP-1) and two probable IFVs near Krymske (42km north-west of Luhansk). On 18 May, the SMM saw an IFV (BTR-4) in Novobakhmutivka (28km north-west of Donetsk), an IFV (BMP-1) being transported on a flatbed near Svitlodarsk and two IFVs (BMP-2) near Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk).

The SMM continued to observe unexploded ordnance (UXO). On 18 May, the SMM saw an 82mm mortar round protruding from the pavement approximately 300m south-east of an armed formation checkpoint on road T-0513 at the northern edge of Horlivka.                                                                                                                                      

The SMM facilitated the access of Voda Donbassa water company representatives and others to the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) to assess damage. On 18 May, representatives of Voda Donbassa told the SMM that the DFS had been shut down due to damage to its electrical infrastructure from shelling during the night of 17 April (see SMM Daily Report 18 May 2018); the SMM facilitated access for workers of the local electrical company to assess the damage to the DFS’ power station. According to the representatives, there were no Voda Donbassa workers at the station besides a security guard. The representatives also told the SMM that shutting down the station has left Avdiivka (government-controlled, 17km north of Donetsk) without water and led to cuts in available drinking water in Donetsk and Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk). Positioned in areas near the DFS, the SMM heard undetermined explosions as well as small-arms fire (see ceasefire violation table below), despite explicit security guarantees. 

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repair works to high-voltage power lines near Almazna (non-government-controlled, 55km west of Luhansk) and the water pipeline in Obozne (non-government-controlled, 18km north of Luhansk). 

At Sofiivska Square in Kyiv, the SMM saw around 500 people – some of whom were holding Crimean Tatar flags with black ribbons and Ukrainian national flags – commemorating the 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatars. The SMM saw around 100 National Guard members around the square; those entering the event were required to pass through a metal detector. The SMM saw the Ukrainian President address the crowd, saying that there is a need to amend the Ukrainian Constitution to ensure the rights of Crimean Tatars. The event ended without incident. SMM observed 30 people gathered in front of the Regional State Administration building at 64 Sumska Street in Kharkiv listening to speeches about the 1944 deportation of Crimean Tatars and the current situation in Crimea in commemoration of the same event. The SMM did not observe police present.

On 18 May in Odessa, SMM observed that red paint had been applied over the inscription on a monument at Kulykove Pole (“To the fighters who died for the power of the Soviets in Odessa. From the labourers of Odessa. 1960.”) and the words “Occupiers” and “Invaders” in Ukrainian had been written on the monument. 

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, 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, 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 (see SMM Daily Report 18 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:

• At a compound near Shevchenko (government-controlled, 19km north-west of Mariupol), a soldier of the Ukrainian Armed Forces told the SMM it could not enter without special permission from his unit commander.

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 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 member of the armed formations 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 (government-controlled, 20km north of Luhansk) 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]

[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. 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.