Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 23 July 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle in Artema. The Mission followed up on two civilian casualties caused by an explosion in a courtyard in Marinka. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded a ceasefire violation near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and Shchastia, as well as again near Zaichenko and Bezimenne in non-government-controlled areas of southern Donetsk region.  The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM saw demining near road T-1314 north of Shyrokyi. 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 critical civilian infrastructure near Artema, Zalizne, Nelipivka and Novotoshkivske. In Odessa, the SMM saw anti-Semitic graffiti.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], including, however, more explosions (about 70), compared with the previous 24 hours (about 35 explosions).

On the evening and night of 22-23 July, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, 23 projectiles in flight from north-west to south-east and two projectiles from north-east to south-west, followed by totals of two explosions (one assessed as an impact and one as an airburst), nine projectiles (four from west to east, one from east to west, two from south-east to north-west, one from south-south-west to north-north-east and one from north-north-west to south-south-east) and three muzzle flashes, all 0.5-3km at directions ranging from south-south-east to south-west.

Positioned at the railway station in Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk) on 23 July, the SMM heard nine undetermined explosions, four shots assessed as infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-2) cannon (30mm) rounds and shots and bursts of small-arms fire, including ten minutes of overlapping and uncountable rounds, all 2-3km south-west and west.

On the evening and night of 22-23 July, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk) recorded 18 explosions (three assessed as outgoing and 15 as impacts), 65 projectiles in flight (37 from west-south-west to east-north-east, 25 from west to east, and three from north-east to south-west) and an illumination flare in vertical flight, all 1-6km north, north-north-east and north-east.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded five ceasefire violations, including one explosion, compared with the previous 24 hours (three explosions).

Positioned near Artema (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk) while flying a mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the SMM heard three shots and a burst of small-arms fire, assessed as directed at the UAV.* At the time of the incident, the UAV was flying at an altitude of approximately 100m over a Ukrainian Armed Forces position about 800m north-east of the SMM’s position. The SMM recalled and safely landed the mini-UAV. Shortly thereafter, two Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel arrived in a military vehicle and asked whether the UAV belonged to the SMM. They said that they had shot in the air with the intention to drive the UAV away.

The SMM followed up on reports of two civilian casualties. At a hospital in Kurakhove (government-controlled, 40km west of Donetsk), the SMM spoke with a man (43 years old) who had bandages on his face, head, chest and arms. He said that on 22 July, he and another man (44 years old) had been walking through the courtyard to a house at 117 Telmana Street in Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south of Donetsk), which he said he had abandoned about one year ago. He said they had heard a click and that then there had been an explosion, which he believed was caused by an unexploded ordnance. According to him, Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel had come to the scene and provided first aid and transported him to the hospital. A doctor at the hospital in Kurakhove said that the man had been injured by shrapnel, some of which had been removed. The doctor said the other man (44 years old) had suffered injuries to both legs and his right foot and that he had left the hospital the same day. Police in Kurakhove confirmed the time and place of the incident.

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.*

Positioned about 1km south-east of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the SMM heard an undetermined explosion about 5km east-south-east, assessed as outside the disengagement area.

Positioned in both the disengagement area near Zolote and in Bohdanivka (government-controlled, 41km south-west of Donetsk), near the Petrivske disengagement area, the SMM did not observe ceasefire violations.

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 mid-range UAV spotted, on 21 July, a probable self-propelled howitzer (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) near Kremenivka (78km south of Donetsk) and a probable towed howitzer (2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm) in Zoria (80km south of Donetsk). On 23 July, the SMM saw a military truck towing a howitzer (D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm) about 2km west of Maloriazantseve (77km north-west of Luhansk).

In violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled-areas, an SMM long-range UAV spotted, on 21 July, a tank (T-64) in the Leninskyi district of Donetsk city and 25 tanks (20 T-64 or T-72 and five T-80) in a military-type compound in the Budonivskyi district of Donetsk city.

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites in government-controlled-areas, on 21 July, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted two surface-to-air missile systems (9K35 Strela-10) near Kremenivka. On 23 July, on the northern edge of Sievierodonetsk (74km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM saw two military trucks each towing an anti-tank gun (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm).

On the western edge of Novookhtyrka (55km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM saw a military truck with a towed gun (type undetermined) traveling west.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles and anti-aircraft weapons[3] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, on 21 July, an SMM long-range UAV spotted an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (BTR-70) in Chystyi Kliuch (26km north-west of Donetsk) and two armoured reconnaissance vehicles near Nevelske (18km north-west of Donetsk). On 23 July, the SMM saw a self-propelled anti-aircraft system (ZSU-23-4 Shilka, 23mm) near Sopyne.

In non-government-controlled-areas, an SMM long-range UAV spotted, on 21 July, three IFVs (BMP-1) and an APC (MT-LB) in the Leninskyi district of Donetsk city, 15 IFVs (BMP variants) and 11 APCs (four MT-LB, six BTR variants and one BTR-70) in the Budonivskyi district of Donetsk city (see above) and three IFVs (BMP-1), nine APCs (five MT-LB and four BTR-80) and three armoured reconnaissance vehicles (two BRDM-2 and one PRP-3) south of Makiivka (12km north-east of Donetsk). On 22 July, an SMM mini-UAV spotted five IFVs (BMP-1) and an APC (MT-LB) near Dovhe (22km north-west of Luhansk) and three IFVs (BMP-1) near Zhovte (17km north-west of Luhansk). On 23 July, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted an APC (MT-LB) near Bezimenne (30km east of Donetsk). 

The SMM observed the marking of mines. Near Shyrokyi (government-controlled, 38km north-east of Luhansk), a representative of an international demining organization told the SMM that the team of three deminers present (all wearing clothing marked with the international organization’s logo) were marking mines on the western and eastern sides of road T-1314. The SMM saw signs with “Attention, demining work ongoing” written in Ukrainian on red rectangle boards with a white skull-and-crossbones in the same area.

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 the table below).

The SMM also continued to facilitate and monitor repairs and maintenance works at the phenol sludge reservoir near Zalizne (government-controlled, 42km north-east of Donetsk), a water pumping station in Artema, water pipelines near Novotoshkivske (government-controlled, 53km west of Luhansk) and a high-voltage powerline between Zalizne and Nelipivka (government-controlled, 40km north-east of Donetsk).

The SMM visited a border area outside of government control. While at the pedestrian border crossing point near Novoborovytsi (79km south of Luhansk) for about 50 minutes, the SMM observed three people exiting Ukraine.

In Odessa, the SMM saw an anti-Semitic message spray-painted next to a swastika symbol on a wall at 7 Osipova Street in Odessa city. It saw a second anti-Semitic message next to a Star of David with lines drawn through it in the shape of an X on the bottom part of a wall near a parking entrance to an apartment building at Zhukovskoho Street on the Polskyi Descent. At both locations, the SMM observed that the letters of the messages were in black paint and of the same dimensions and style. The same beige colour had been used to paint over the graffiti, leaving the messages only partially legible. At the first location, proprietors of businesses told the SMM that the wall had been clear of graffiti on 20 July. According to a public police statement, an investigation will be opened under Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of human rights based on racial, ethnic, or religious bias).

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi and Kyiv.

*Restrictions of the 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, 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 (for example, see SMM Daily Report 19 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:

• At a checkpoint north of Zaichenko (non-government-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol), two members of the armed formations (one visibly armed) again stopped the SMM and denied it passage westward to Pikuzy and southward to Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol), citing “security reasons”.
• At a checkpoint on road E-58 north-west of Bezimenne, seven members of the armed formations (three visibly armed) again stopped the SMM and denied it passage, citing the “security of the SMM patrol”.

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.5
• 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.
• In Bohdanivka, Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel told the SMM that anti-tank mines were still in place on the road to Viktorivka and Petrivske, and that they had no plans to clear the mines. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed.
• At a checkpoint of the armed formations on the southern side of the bridge in Shchastia, a member of the armed formations told the SMM that mines had not been cleared on the road leading north toward Shchastia. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed.

Other impediments:

• Near Artema (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk), while conducting a mini-UAV flight, the SMM heard one burst and three shots of small-arms fire 800m north-east, assessed as aimed at the mini-UAV. The SMM recalled and landed the UAV safely.  
• Positioned near Lebedynske (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM experienced a loss of signal while flying a mid-range UAV near Bezimenne. The SMM recalled and landed the UAV safely. 

[1] Please see 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.