Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 24 May 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Zaitseve. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including near Izvaryne and Sievernyi at the border with the Russian Federation and in Luhansk city. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It continued to monitor and facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station to facilitate repair works and keep it operational; it heard ceasefire violations in the area, despite security guarantees. The SMM also continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema, high-voltage power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka and facilitated access for Vodafone employees to their office in Donetsk city. In Ternopil region, the SMM followed up on reports of an attack against members of the Roma community. In Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson, the SMM monitored public gatherings. In Kherson, the SMM attended a hearing related to a detained cargo ship.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], including fewer explosions (about 295 explosions), compared with the previous reporting period (about 640 explosions).

On the evening of 23 May, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, an outgoing explosion which projected a round in flight from north-west to south-east, two projectiles in flight from north-west to south-east, two undetermined explosions, a projectile from north-east to south-west, two explosions assessed as outgoing rounds, and a projectile in flight from south-east to north-west, followed by totals of one explosion assessed as an impact of 14.55mm ammunition 30-80m west and 20 projectiles (one from west to east, one from south-east to north-west, two from north to south, four from south to north, and 12 in vertical flight), all 300m-5km south-west, west-south-west and west.

On 24 May, positioned on the south-western edge of Avdiivka (government-controlled 17km north of Donetsk), the SMM heard nine undetermined explosions 2-6km south-east.

The same day, positioned 1.1km north-west of the railway station in Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard four undetermined explosions and 14 shots of small-arms fired 2-5km south-south-west, west-south-west and west.

Positioned in Kruta Balka (non-government-controlled, 16km north of Donetsk), the SMM heard an undetermined explosion and shots of small-arms fire 1-5km north-west and seven undetermined explosions 1-3km south-west.

On the evening and night of 23-24 May, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in Maiorsk (government-controlled, 45km north-east of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, an undetermined explosion, 22 projectiles in flight from north to south, an undetermined explosion, 19 projectiles from south to north, an undetermined explosion, and 17 projectiles from south to north, all 3-7km east.

On the evening and night of 23-24 May, while in Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 22 undetermined explosions, about 90 explosions assessed as outgoing rounds of undetermined weapons, 27 explosions assessed as impacts of rounds of undetermined weapons, and about 140 bursts and shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 2-5km south-west.

On the evening and night of 23-24 May, while in Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 90 undetermined explosions and about 110 bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 1-6km south-east.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including about 15 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (240 explosions).

The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Zaitseve.[2] On 23 May, a woman told the SMM that her husband (63 years old) had died on 22 April as a result of shrapnel wounds, which he sustained during shelling on Rybalko Street in Zaitseve (50km north-east of Donetsk).  On 23 April, a staff member at the Horlivka morgue told the SMM that a man’s body had still been in the morgue.

On 23 May, a woman told the SMM by telephone that her husband (76 years old) had been wounded by shrapnel on 20 May when their house was hit by a round that had exploded in the non-government-controlled part of Zaitseve  She said that he was currently receiving in-patient treatment at Horlivka hospital no. 2. On 20 May, hospital staff at Horlivka hospital no. 2 told the SMM that the man had been admitted the same day. The SMM was unable to speak to the man in person. It was also unable to visit the injured man’s house in Zaitseve due to security considerations.

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 morning of 22 May, the SMM camera in Petrivske recorded, in sequence, an airburst 1-1.5km west-north-west (assessed as outside the disengagement area) and an undetermined explosion 1.5-2km south-south-west (assessed as inside the disengagement area).

On 24 May, positioned in Bohdanivka (government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk) near the Petrivske disengagement area, the SMM heard one undetermined explosion 2.5km north-east (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

On the evening of 23 May, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded, in sequence, 12 bursts in flight from south-west to north-east 5-10km south and two undetermined explosions 12-14km east (all assessed as outside the disengagement area).

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, on 23 May, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted a probable mortar (likely 82mm) east of Zaitseve.

In violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas, on 22 May, an SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted a self-propelled howitzer (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) and 16 tanks (eight T-72 and eight T-64), including five tanks in firing positions, south-east of Novoselivka (37km north-east of Donetsk). (See SMM Daily Report 23 May 2018 for more information about associated ceasefire violations.) On 23 May an SMM mid-range UAV spotted an anti-tank gun (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) and a surface-to-air missile system (9K35, Strela-10) 100-300m north-east of residential areas in Holmivskyi (49km north-east of Donetsk). On 24 May, the SMM saw a tank (T-72) being transported south of Vesela Tarasivka (17km west of Luhansk), moving west on road M-04.

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites, in government-controlled areas, the SMM saw 11 tanks (T-64) on 23 May and four tanks (type undetermined) on 24 May near Mykolaivka (77km west of Luhansk). On 24 May, the SMM saw one surface-to-air missile system (9K33 Osa) near Novookhtyrka (55km north-west of Luhansk), a self-propelled howitzer (2S19 Msta-S, 152mm) being transported near Malynivka (82km north of Donetsk), and one tank (T-64) being transported about 3km south-east of Pryvilne (31km north of Mariupol).

In non-government-controlled areas, the SMM saw 18 tanks (11 T-72 and seven T-64) near Kruhlyk (31km south-west of Luhansk).

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles and an anti-aircraft gun[3] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, an SMM mid-range UAV on 24 May spotted an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) and an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (BTR-80A) south of Zaitseve (50km north-east of Donetsk), and an SMM mid-range UAV spotted four IFVs (BMP-2) in government-controlled areas between Zaitseve and Horlivka. The SMM saw an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) near Orikhove-Donetske (44km north-west of Luhansk), and three infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) (BMP-2) near Novohnativka (40km south of Donetsk).

In non-government-controlled areas, an SMM mid-range UAV on 22 May spotted four IFVs (probable BMP-1) near Novoselivka. On 23 May, the SMM saw an APC (BTR-70) in Horlivka. On 24 May, an SMM mini-UAV May spotted an IFV (BMP-1) near Vesela Hora (16km north of Luhansk).

The SMM observed a convoy of cargo trucks from the Russian Federation. In Luhansk city, the SMM saw five white cargo trucks in a compound known to us as used by the armed formations at 2a Rudnieva Street and that they were being unloaded by men in blue work uniforms without visible insignia, but could not see the cargo. One of the trucks was labelled “Humanitarian Aid from the Russian Federation,” the other trucks were not labelled. The SMM saw three armed men in military-type clothing standing around the perimeter of the compound. At the entrance of the compound, an armed man in military-type clothing told the SMM that it could not enter* and that none of the people traveling with the convoy could speak to the SMM without permission from the armed formations in Luhansk. Later the same day, the SMM observed a convoy of 11 white covered cargo trucks exiting Ukraine at the border crossing point in Izvaryne (52km south-east of Luhansk).* (See OSCE Observer Mission at the Russian Checkpoints Gukovo and Donetsk Spot Report 24 May 2018.)

The SMM observed demining activities. The SMM saw a team of five men with clothing marked with the insignia of an international demining organization on road P-22 north of Shyrokyi (government-controlled, 38km north-east of Luhansk) and they told the SMM that they had been demining in the area. Near Nikishyne (non-government-controlled, 60km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM saw a team of five men wearing clothing marked as “emergency services” working with metal detectors in a field on the northern edge of the settlement.

The SMM continued to monitor and facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) to facilitate repair works. Positioned in areas near the DFS, the SMM heard undetermined explosions as well as small-arms fire (see ceasefire violation section above), despite explicit security guarantees. In Avdiivka, the SMM observed that water supply had been restored. Four female residents of Avdiivka (sixties) told the SMM that city authorities had informed residents that water supply and water pressure would be fully restored within 24 hours (see SMM Daily Report 24 May 2018).

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk) and high-voltage power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka (non-government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk), Almazna (non-government-controlled, 55km west of Luhansk) and Veselohorivka (non-government-controlled, 64km west of Luhansk). The SMM also facilitated the access of Vodafone employees to their office in Donetsk city from government-controlled areas and facilitated their return to government-controlled areas later the same day.

The SMM visited two border areas not under government control.* Upon arrival at a border crossing point near Sievernyi (50km south-east of Luhansk), a man in military-type clothing told the SMM to leave the area.* At a border crossing point near Izvaryne, a man in military-type clothing told the SMM on two separate occasions to move its vehicles further away from the border crossing point (first from 200m away and later to 500m).* While present, the SMM observed 11 white covered cargo trucks (all with Russian Federation licence plates), seven of which were labelled “Humanitarian Aid from the Russian Federation” (in Russian), accompanied by two cars labelled “police” with “LPR” plates, two cars marked as Ministry of Emergency Services of the Russian Federation (with Russian Federation licence plates), an ambulance (with Russian Federation licence plates) and one passenger van (plates not visible) (see above).

The SMM followed up on reports of an attack against members of the Roma community on 22 May at a camp on the western edge of Velyki Hai (94km north-east of Ivano-Frankivsk) where the SMM saw an abandoned area that had been recently burned and was covered in ash. At another nearby Roma camp, two women (thirties) and five children (five-ten years old) told the SMM that they had been at the first camp on the evening of 21 May when a group of about 20 masked people arrived and physically assaulted a woman and a man from the Roma community. They said that one of them then fired serval rounds into the ground next to another woman from the Roma community as well as several small children and another poured gasoline over the tents and set them on fire, destroying all belongings. Police told the SMM that at 21:00 on 21 May, they had received a phone call detailing the above information and that when they arrived at the camp, they had held 12 people for questioning (five of whom were under the age of 18) and all identified as members of groups such as Right Sector and Tryzub (Trident). Police told the SMM that they saw three tents on fire and recovered several gun cartridge cases from the area. Police informed the SMM that an investigation for “hooliganism” was ongoing under Article 296(4) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

In Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson, the SMM monitored gatherings in support of a Ukrainian filmmaker’s hunger strike, who participants said had been detained in the Russian Federation since 2014. In Kyiv, the SMM saw about 100 people (men and women, aged 20-60) outside the Embassy of the Russian Federation at 27 Povitroflotskyi Avenue and 12 National Guard officers securing the area as well as two police cars nearby. In Kharkiv, the SMM observed 40 people (mixed gender, 25-60 years old) on the sidewalk across from the Consulate General of the Russian Federation; two people were holding Ukrainian national flags. The SMM saw 11 police officers securing the Consulate General of the Russian Federation. In Kherson, the SMM saw at least 150 young people (men and women, aged 16-22) holding Ukrainian national flags. All of the gatherings ended without incidents.

In Kherson, the SMM attended a court hearing regarding a detained cargo vessel, which had reportedly been detained on 21 February 2018, on three charges including violation of the Temporarily Occupied Territory of Ukraine entry/exit order under Article 332 (Part 1, 2), financing of the actions aimed at forceful change or overthrow of constitutional order or taking over the state power, or change of the state borders of Ukraine under Article 1102, and high treason under Article 111.1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. No charges had been brought against the crew members or the Ukrainian chartering company. After hearing arguments from both the prosecutor and defence, the judge lifted the detention order, and released the ship as well as its navigational equipment and log.

The SMM continued monitoring in Odessa, Lviv, 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 (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 (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 Sievernyi a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.
• At a compound in Luhansk city, an armed man in military-type clothing told the SMM that it could not enter the compound where white cargo trucks were being unloaded, one of which was marked as “Humanitarian Aid from the Russian Federation”.

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.[4]
• 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 member of the armed formations 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 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:

• At a border crossing point near Izvaryne a man in military-style clothing told the SMM to leave the area on two separate occasions, requiring that the SMM move first 200m and then 500m away from the area.

[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. he SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in Marinka was not operational during the reporting period.

[2] The SMM will follow-up on reports of damage to a hospital as a result of shelling in Toretsk (government-controlled, formerly Dzerzhynsk, 43km north of Donetsk).

[3] This hardware is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.

[4] 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.