Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 3 July 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, compared with the previous reporting period, and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Petrivske disengagement area and observed military presence inside the Zolote and Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Zaichenko and Oleksandrivske. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to other essential civilian infrastructure. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a public gathering.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], including 26 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 70 explosions).

On the evening of 2 July, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk) recorded an undetermined explosion and seven projectiles in flight from south-south-east to north-north-west, all 0.5-2km south.

On the same evening, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in Maiorsk (government-controlled, 45km north-east of Donetsk) recorded three projectiles in flight from north to south and a projectile in vertical flight, all 1-3km east.

On the same evening, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol) recorded two projectiles in flight from west to east 1-2km south.

On the same evening, while in Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard four undetermined explosions 3-6km south-east.

On the morning of 3 July, positioned on the south-eastern edge of Avdiivka (government-controlled, 17km north of Donetsk) for about four hours, the SMM heard seven undetermined explosions 1-3km south and east-south-east.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded no ceasefire violations. (The SMM had recorded 31 explosions during the previous reporting period.)

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 3 July, an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) again spotted an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) in the garden of a house inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, approximately 400m from its south-western edge. (See SMM Daily Report 25 June 2018.)

Positioned on the north-eastern outskirts of Katerynivka (government-controlled, 64km west of Luhansk), the SMM saw three Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel in military attire (two men and a woman, no weapons visible) in a black car with military licence plates entering the Zolote disengagement area from the north and then heading west.

Positioned 2.6km north of Petrivske for about 30 minutes, the SMM heard an undetermined explosion 3km south (unable to assess whether inside or 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 a government-controlled area, on 2 July, an SMM long-range UAV spotted a surface-to-air missile system (9K35 Strela-10) about 1.5km east of Pivnichne (formerly Kirove, 44km north-east of Donetsk).

In violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas, on 26 June, an SMM long-range UAV spotted three self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) near Tavrycheskoe (48km west of Luhansk). In the early morning hours of 3 July, an SMM long-range UAV spotted two tanks (T-64) each loaded on a transporter moving from Debaltseve (58km north-east of Donetsk) towards Krasnyi Luch (56km north-east of Donetsk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites in a non-government-controlled area, aerial imagery on 1 July revealed the presence of 32 tanks (T-64) and nine probable mortars (type undetermined) in a training area near Kruhlyk (31km south-west of Luhansk). (See SMM Daily Report 28 June 2018.)

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles, anti-aircraft guns[2] and a UAV in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, on 2 July, an SMM long-range UAV spotted an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-2) near Pivnichne, two IFVs (BMP-1) near Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk), an IFV (BMP variant) near Myronivskyi (62km north-east of Donetsk), two IFVs (BMP-1) near Troitske (69km west of Luhansk), two IFVs (BMP-2) near a residential area of Kriakivka (38km north-west of Luhansk), an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) in a residential area of Heivka (27km north-west of Luhansk), an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23) and an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) near Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk) and an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (BTR-70) near Artema (26km north of Luhansk). The same day, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted an IFV (BMP variant) near Lebedynske (16km east of Mariupol). On 3 July, the SMM saw an APC (BTR-D) and an IFV (BMP-1) near Trokhizbenka (32km north-west of Luhansk) as well as an IFV (BMP-1) and three APCs (BTR-80) near Zolote (60km west of Luhansk).

In non-government-controlled areas, on 2 July, an SMM long-range UAV spotted two IFVs (BMP-2) and an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23) near Kalynove (60km west of Luhansk), an IFV (BMP-1) near Znamianka (36km north-west of Luhansk), two IFVs (BMP-1) and an APC (MT-LB) near Dovhe (22km north-west of Luhansk). The same day, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted five IFVs (BMP-1) and an APC (BTR-80) near Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, 23km north-east of Mariupol).

Positioned about 1km south-west of Molodizhne (non-government-controlled, 63km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard and saw a white UAV (probable mid-range) flying from the direction of Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk) and hovering over the patrol at an altitude of about 200-300m for one minute. The UAV then flew towards Kalynove-Borshchuvate (non-government-controlled, 61km west of Luhansk).

The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the DFS, including through monitoring adherence to the ceasefire. Positioned in areas near the DFS, the SMM heard ceasefire violations, despite explicit security guarantees (see above and table below for details). The SMM also continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and to a water channel near Stanytsia Luhanska.

The SMM monitored the situation of civilians living close to the contact line. In Trokhizbenka (government-controlled, 32km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM saw about 150 people (mixed genders, 45-65 years old) gathered in front of the building of the military-civil administration. The SMM talked to seven people present (six men and one woman, 45-65 years old) who said that they were following up on a written request they had submitted to the military-civil administration ten days prior regarding the opening of an entry-exit checkpoint near the town, as travelling across the contact line via the entry-exit checkpoint in Stanytsia Luhanska is costly and time-consuming, which as a result prevents them from being able to regularly visit relatives in non-government-controlled areas.

The SMM monitored a border area not under government control. At a border crossing point near Novoazovsk (102km south-east of Donetsk) for about 15 minutes, the SMM saw seven cars (four with Ukrainian licence plates and three with “DPR” plates) and one covered cargo truck (with Ukrainian licence plates) exiting Ukraine and observed no traffic entering Ukraine.

In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a public gathering in support of Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, who is in detention in the Russian Federation. (See SMM Daily Report 3 July 2018.) The Mission observed about 4,000 people (mixed gender and ages, including children) gathered in front of the Olimpiiskyi Stadium at 55 Velyka Vasylkivska Street. The SMM saw that about 20 participants (mostly young men) were wearing T-shirts with the insignia of National Corps and holding flares and banners with messages such as: “Oleh Sentsov, Ukraine is with you!” There were six police officers nearby. The gathering ended without incident.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, 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, 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, for example, SMM Daily Report 2 July 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:

• Two armed members of the armed formations stopped the SMM at a checkpoint near Zaichenko (nongovernment-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol) and prevented it again from accessing Pikuzy and Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol), claiming it was not safe for the SMM to continue. (See SMM Daily Report 2 July 2018.)
• A member of the armed formations stopped the SMM at a checkpoint south of Oleksandrivske (formerly Rozy Liuksemburh, nongovernment-controlled, 90km south-east of Donetsk) and prevented it from accessing Markyne (non-government-controlled, 94km south of Donetsk), claiming it was not safe for the SMM to continue due to a “firing exercise” taking place in the area.

Regular restrictions 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 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:

• Two members of the armed formations (one of them armed) at a checkpoint near Horlivka (nongovernment-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk) allowed an SMM patrol to proceed only after they inspected the trunks of the SMM vehicles.

Other impediments:

• On the evening of 2 July, an SMM long range UAV was temporarily jammed while flying over areas near Zholobok (non-government-controlled, 47km west of Luhansk).[4]
• On 3 July, in Zhovte (nongovernment-controlled, 17km north-west of Luhansk), a community representative told the SMM that she was not “authorized” to speak to the SMM.

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

[4]   The interference could have originated from anywhere in a radius of several kilometres of the UAV’s position.