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

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of a woman injured by shelling in Dokuchaievsk. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near and observed again military presence inside the Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three areas as well as near Hryhorivka and, again, in areas of Donetsk region outside government control near Zaichenko and Bezimenne and in areas of Luhansk region outside government control at the border with the Russian Federation.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Alchevsk and Buhaivka. The SMM 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 critical civilian infrastructure near Stanytsia Luhanska, Bolotene and Novotoshkivske. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a court hearing in relation to an attack on members of the Roma community. In Zakarpattia region, the SMM followed up on reports of a fire at a church kindergarten attended entirely by children of the Roma community.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations[1], including about 150 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 125 explosions).

On the evening and night of 17-18 July, while in Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard about 30 undetermined explosions and about 50 bursts of small-arms fire, all 1-6km south-east, south and south-west.

On 18 July, positioned in Styla (non-government-controlled, 34km south of Donetsk), the SMM heard 19 undetermined explosions 2-3km north and west.

On 18 July, positioned in the west-north-western outskirts of Horlivka (non-government controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 12 undetermined explosions and about 210 bursts of small-arms fire, all 0.5-2km north-north-east.

On the evening and night of 17-18 July, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, a projectile in flight from east to west, an explosion assessed as an impact, three projectiles from east to west and three projectiles from west-south-west to east-north-east, followed by 54 explosions (40 assessed as impacts, ten assessed as outgoing rounds and four undetermined), four illumination flares, 10 projectiles in flight (assessed as 30mm cannon rounds), two bursts (one from east to west and one from west to east) and 100 projectiles in flight (46 from east to west, 50 from west to east and four in vertical flight), all 1.5-11km south-south-east and south. The camera also recorded three explosions assessed as outgoing rounds, followed by their subsequent projectiles in flight from east to west and the impacts thereof, 2.5-5km south.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including, however, fewer explosions (four), compared with the previous reporting period (12 explosions).

The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Dokuchaievsk (non-government-controlled, 30km south-west of Donetsk), and spoke with a woman by telephone who told the SMM that on the evening of 16 July, she had been in her home on Hirska Street in Dokuchaievsk with her son and husband when she had heard the sound of explosions and felt a shockwave. She said that her son had called an ambulance which had taken her to a hospital in Dokuchaievsk. Staff at a hospital in Dokuchaievsk told the SMM that a woman (in her sixties) had been brought by ambulance around 18:00 on 16 July with blast-wave and debris injuries to the left side of her body. The woman was released from hospital the same night. The SMM has been unable to visit the injured woman in her home due to security reasons.

The SMM continued to monitor the disengagement process and to pursue full access to the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk), Zolote (60km west of Luhansk) and Petrivske (41km south of Donetsk)[2], 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 17 July an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted three armed men wearing camouflage clothing moving from a position under a bridge inside the Zolote disengagement area (see SMM Daily Report 1 May 2018). The same day, the SMM saw a truck with military licence plates carrying three persons in military-style clothing from the Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint on the northern edge of the disengagement area into the disengagement area.

On the evening of 17-18 July, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded two explosions assessed as outgoing rounds and an illumination flare in flight from east to west, all 4-8km south-east and south (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 non-government-controlled areas an SMM long-range UAV spotted two self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) near Alchevsk (40km west of Luhansk), as well as 14 self-propelled howitzers (2S1), three towed anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) and 14 towed howitzers (D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm) near Buhaivka (37km south-west of Luhansk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites in non-government-controlled areas, on 17 July, an SMM mini-UAV spotted eight self-propelled howitzers (2S1), 12 towed howitzers (D-30), six anti-tank guns (MT-12), nine towed mortars (2B11 Sani, 120mm) and 18 tanks (eight T-64 and ten T-72) at a training area near Myrne (28km south-west of Luhansk). The same day, the SMM long-range UAV spotted 29 tanks (type undetermined) near Kruhlyk (31km south-west of Luhansk); three self-propelled howitzers (2S1) near Uspenka (23km south-west of Luhansk); 20 tanks and six self-propelled howitzers (2S1) at the same training area near Myrne; a self-propelled mortar (2S9 Nona-S, 120mm) near Alchevsk; and 17 towed artillery pieces (type undetermined), four surface-to-air missile systems (9K35 Strela-10) and 16 tanks (type undetermined) near Buhaivka.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles[3] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas on 17 July, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-2) near Novhorodske (35km north of Donetsk) and an SMM long-range UAV spotted an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (MT-LB variant) near Svitlodarsk. The same day, the SMM saw an APC (BTR variant) near Zolote-2/Karbonit (62km west of Luhansk) and two IFVs (BMP-1) near Popasna (69km west of Luhansk). On 18 July, the SMM saw an APC (BTR variant) near Zolote-2/Karbonit and an IFV (BMP variant) near Zolote-4/Rodina (59km west of Luhansk).

The SMM continued to observe mines. On 17 July an SMM mid-range-UAV again spotted 72 anti-tank mines about 1.5km north-east of Novhorodske (see SMM Daily Report 29 June 2018).

The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS), including through monitoring adherence to the ceasefire. Positioned in areas near the DFS, the SMM heard ceasefire violations, despite explicit security guarantees (see table below). The SMM also continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to a water channel junction in Stanytsia Luhanska, water intake station boreholes in Bolotene (government-controlled, 22km north-east of Luhansk), and water pipelines near Novotoshkivske (government-controlled, 53km west of Luhansk).

The SMM visited three border areas outside government control.* While at a border crossing point near Sievernyi (50km south-east of Luhansk) for approximately 20 minutes, the SMM saw no cross-border traffic. While at a border crossing point near Izvaryne (52km south-east of Luhansk) for approximately 20 minutes, the SMM observed a car with Ukrainian licence plates and a bus with “LPR” plates entering Ukraine. While at a pedestrian border crossing point near Verkhnoharasymivka (57km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM observed four women and three men entering Ukraine and three women and two men exiting Ukraine.

In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a court hearing arising from an attack on a temporary settlement inhabited by members of the Roma community on 21 April (see SMM Daily Report 1 May 2018). The SMM saw about 100 men (aged 20-35) wearing T-shirts with insignia of organizations such as C14 (Sich), National Corps and Natsionalny Druzhyny outside the Holosiivskyi District Court of Kyiv (14A Polkovnyka Potiekhina Street). There were about 20 law enforcement officers, including six police officers, in the courtroom. The court ordered that a defendant, introduced as a leader of C14 (Sich), be held under house arrest for 60 days during a pre-trial investigation.

In Zakarpattia region, the SMM followed up on reports that a church kindergarten attended by children of the Roma community had burnt down. On 17 July, the SMM went to the kindergarten in Velyka Dobron (181km west of Ivano-Frankivsk), and saw that the building had been almost burnt to the ground, its roof and interior having been completely destroyed by fire. Members of the police and of the Roma community told the SMM that the kindergarten was attended entirely by children of the Roma community. A priest of the church which runs the kindergarten told the SMM that the fire had started around 03:30 on 15 July. A press officer of the National Police told the SMM on 15 July that the fire had been accidental. Members of the Roma community in Velyka Dobron told the SMM that they were worried about the safety of their community and have organized “night patrols” to prevent further incidents.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, 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 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 checkpoint north of Zaichenko (nongovernment-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol), three armed members of the armed formations stopped the SMM and again denied it passage westward to Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol) and southward to Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol) citing “security reasons”. (See, for example, SMM Daily Report 16 July 2018, SMM Daily Report 17 July 2018 and SMM Daily Report 18 July 2018). The SMM observed a car driving through the checkpoint towards Zaichenko.
• Two members of the armed formations (one visibly armed) prevented the SMM from travelling west through a checkpoint near Hryhorivka (nongovernment-controlled, 68km south of Donetsk).
• At a checkpoint on road E58 north-west of Bezimenne (non-government-controlled, 30km east of Mariupol), armed members of the armed formations again stopped the SMM and denied it passage. (See, for example, SMM Daily Report 16 July 2018, SMM Daily Report 17 July 2018 and SMM Daily Report 18 July 2018).
• While present at a border crossing point near Izvaryne, an armed member of the armed formations demanded that the SMM leave the area.
• While present at a border crossing point near Sievernyi, an armed member of the armed formations demanded that the SMM leave 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.[4]
• 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. A 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.

[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.

[2]     Due to presence of mines, including those on a road between Bohdanivka and Petrivske, the SMM’s access to its camera in Petrivske remained limited; therefore, the review of the camera footage may take place days later.

[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.