Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 27 July 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer violations in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on three civilian casualties from unexploded ordnance near Hranitne and Horlivka. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and observed new firing positions and a freshly dug trench inside the Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Oleksandrivske, Starolaspa, Bezimenne and Siedove, and again in Zaichenko. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Vershyna, Zolote-3/Stakhanovets and Donetskyi. 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 Zalizne, Popasna and Artema. In Luhansk city, the SMM observed over 100 large boxes being offloaded from trucks labelled “Humanitarian Aid from the Russian Federation”. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a procession organized by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of up to 70,000 people to commemorate the adoption of Christianity.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations[1], including about 105 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 65 explosions).

On the evening and night of 26-27 July, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, a projectile in flight from west to east, eight projectiles in flight from south-east to north-west, four projectiles in vertical flight and two bursts of undetermined weapons, followed by totals of two explosions assessed as impacts of 120mm mortar rounds, 17 undetermined explosions, 111 projectiles (the majority from east-north-east to west-south-west) and two illumination flares in vertical flight, all 0.5-6km south-south-west and south-west.

On the evening and night of 26-27 July, the SMM camera 1km south-west of Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded about 75 projectiles in flight from south-east to north-west (62 assessed as heavy-machine-gun fire) and an illumination flare, all 4-6km north-east. 

On the evening of 26 July, while in Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 55 explosions (ten assessed as impacts of mortar rounds and the remainder undetermined) and about 210 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 3-4km south-south-east. The next day, at the same location, the SMM heard five undetermined explosions 2-5km south-east.

During the day on 27 July, positioned about 1km north of the railway station in Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard and saw an explosion assessed as an impact of an undetermined weapon 1.5km west and heard nine undetermined explosions and 225 shots and bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire 2-4km at directions ranging from south-east to west. About 65 of the above-mentioned shots and bursts were assessed as part of live-fire training inside the security zone, 2-4km south-south-east and south.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including ten explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (57 explosions).

The SMM followed up on media reports of a civilian casualty near Hranitne (government-controlled, 60km south of Donetsk) of a man injured by the detonation of unexploded ordnance (UXO) while on his tractor. On 25 July, medical staff at military hospital No. 5 in Mariupol told the SMM that a man (40-50 years old) had been admitted on the evening of 24 July with injuries to his left foot and left eye, and had then been transferred to a hospital in Dnipro on 25 July. On 27 July, the head of Hranitne village council told the SMM that the incident had occurred on 25 July in a field not known for containing mines, approximately 5km south of the village, and that a man (47 years old) was injured by metal from the tractor and glass from its windshield. The interlocutor added that there are many locations near the village where UXO is known to be present and requested assistance in facilitating demining activities.

The SMM also followed up on reports of two civilian fatalities in the Michurina settlement near Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk) related to a landmine explosion on 25 July. At the residence of one of the victims (male, 17 years old) two neighbours (women, 60-70 years old) told the SMM that they were preparing for the funeral of the deceased young man. They said a landmine incident had taken place on 25 July, when the young man and a young woman (18 years old) had been walking near a cemetery close to the settlement of Shakhta 6-7. A female relative (30-40 years old) of the young man said the incident had happened when the two had walked into a field not marked with mine hazard signs. Three other family members present told the SMM that armed formations were in the area and minefields remained unmarked. The SMM again visited Hospital no. 2 in Horlivka to follow up, however no further information was available, as interlocutors were not present to speak. (See SMM Daily Report 27 July 2018)  

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 26 July, an SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted for the first time two firing positions extending from a tree line inside the Zolote disengagement area about 200m north of its southern edge and about 2km east of its western edge (not visible in imagery from 18 June 2018), as well as a recently maintained firing position about 800m from its south-eastern edge (previously reported on 26 June 2018). The same UAV spotted a recently excavated 40m-long trench inside the disengagement area, about 600m south of its northern edge and about 2km east of its western edge (not visible in imagery from 9 July 2018).

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 26 July, an SMM long-range UAV again spotted two self-propelled howitzers (2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm) in Vershyna (63km north-east of Donetsk) (see SMM Daily Report 27 July 2018), and an SMM mid-range UAV spotted a probable surface-to-air missile system (9K35 Strela-10) near Zolote-3/Stakhanovets (61km west of Luhansk).

In violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas, on 27 July, an SMM mini-UAV spotted three mortars (probable 2B11/2S12 Sani) in firing positions on the southern edge of Donetskyi (49km west of Luhansk). (For previous observations see SMM Daily Report 3 July 2018.)  

The SMM revisited a permanent storage site whose location was beyond withdrawal lines in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region and noted that two tanks (one T-72 and one T-64) remained missing.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles (ACV)[3] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, on 26 July, an SMM mini-UAV spotted five infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) (two BMP-1, two BMP-2 and a BMP-variant), an armoured command vehicle (BMP-1Ksh Potok-2) and four armoured personnel carriers (APC) (BTR-70) near Muratove (51km north-west of Luhansk). On the same day, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted an IFV (BMP-1) near Zolote-4/Rodina (60km north-west of Luhansk) as well as an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRM-1K) and new positions (not visible in imagery from 24 July 2018) near Zolote-3/Stakhanovets. Also on the same day, an SMM long-range UAV spotted an ACV (BRM-1K) and an APC (MT-LB) near Ozarianivka (formerly Pershe Travnia, 52km north of Donetsk), as well as two IFVs (BMP-2) and an APC (MT-LB) near Myronivskyi (62km north-east of Donetsk). On 27 July, the SMM saw an APC (BTR-60) near Kapitanove (49km north-west of Luhansk) and an IFV (BMP-1) near Popasna (69km 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 the table below).

The SMM also continued to facilitate and monitor repairs and maintenance works to the phenol sludge reservoir near Zalizne (formerly Artemove, government-controlled, 42km north-east of Donetsk), the railway station in Popasna and the Petrivske pumping station near Artema (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk).

The SMM visited a border area outside government control. While at a border crossing point near Novoazovsk (40km east of Mariupol) for about 25 minutes, the SMM saw four cars (two with Ukrainian licence plates and two with “DPR” plates), a minivan (with Ukrainian licence plates) and a covered cargo truck (with Ukrainian licence plates) exiting Ukraine, as well as six cars (one with Ukrainian and four with Russian Federation licence plates and one with “DPR” plates) entering Ukraine.

On 26 July, at a warehouse on Darkhomyzhkoho lane in Luhansk city, the SMM saw 15 workers unloading at least 100 large cardboard boxes (150 x 150 x 120cm) wrapped in blue tape from ten white trucks labelled “Humanitarian Aid from the Russian Federation” in Russian. The SMM saw that some boxes were placed inside the warehouse and others piled up outside. The SMM also observed an unarmed member of the armed formations filming an interview with another unarmed member of the armed formations and one unarmed man with a “Ministry of Emergency Services of the Russian Federation” insignia visible on his jacket. Later that day, the SMM saw 17 white covered cargo trucks, with ten containing the same labelling on the sides as the above-mentioned trucks, travelling south-east through Samsonivka (non-government-controlled, 31km south-east of Luhansk), accompanied by four cars labelled “police” and two ambulances.

In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a procession of up to 70,000 people (about 75 per cent women) organized by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to commemorate the adoption of Christianity by the Kyivan-Rus state. The SMM assessed that about 5000 police officers secured the route as people walked between Volodymyrska Hill and Pechersk Lavra. The SMM did not observe any incidents.

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

*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 27 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 1km south of Oleksandrivske (formerly Rozy Liuksemburh, 90km south-east of Donetsk), an unarmed member of the armed formations in military-style clothing denied the SMM passage east, citing an ongoing live-fire exercise in a nearby training area.

-     At a checkpoint 800m north of Zaichenko (non-government-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol), two armed members of the armed formations again stopped the SMM and denied it passage westward to Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol) and southward to Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol), citing orders from their superiors (see SMM Daily Report 27 July 2018).

-     At a checkpoint on the eastern edge of Starolaspa (non-government-controlled, 51km south of Donetsk), two unarmed members of the armed formations denied the SMM passage, stating that an “anti-terrorist operation was ongoing in the village”.

-     At a checkpoint 2.5km west of Bezimenne (non-government-controlled, 30km east of        Mariupol), five armed members of the armed formations in military-style clothing denied the SMM passage, claiming that “it was for SMM’s security”.    

-     At a checkpoint north-west of Siedove (non-government-controlled, 33km north-east of Mariupol), two armed members of the armed formations wearing “police-style” clothing denied the SMM passage, saying that a “special ‘police’ operation was ongoing in the village”.

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 by telephone 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 telephone 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.
• The SMM did not travel across the bridge in Shchastia (governmentcontrolled, 20km north of Luhansk) due to the presence of mines. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that mines on the road south of the bridge were still present. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.5

Other impediments:

• An SMM midrange UAV experienced a loss of signal assessed as due to jamming during launch near Novotroitske (government-controlled, 36km south-west of Donetsk). The UAV was recovered safely.

 

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

* Please see the section at the end of this report entitled “Restrictions of SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to fulfilment of its mandate”.

[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.