Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 20 August 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. The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian fatality as a result of an explosion in Pionerske. The Mission observed fresh impacts in the Zolote disengagement area and ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as at a heavy weapons holding area in non-government-controlled parts of Donetsk region, in Markyne, and again in Bezimenne.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Kostiantynivka and Khrustalnyi. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs of residential houses in Avdiivka and water infrastructure in Nyzhnoteple, Novotoshkivske, Pervomaisk and Stanytsia Luhanska.            

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], including 60 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours (80 explosions).

On the evening and night of 19-20 August, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk) recorded ten undetermined explosions, 68 projectiles in flight, 12 muzzle flashes and an illumination flare, all 1-3km at directions ranging from south-south-east to south-south-west.

On the evening and night of 19-20 August, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in Maiorsk (government-controlled, 45km north-east of Donetsk) recorded about 13 undetermined explosions, 135 projectiles in flight, three illumination flares and about four bursts, all 1-4km at directions ranging from north-east to south-east.

On the evening and night of 19-20 August, the SMM camera 1km south-west of Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol) recorded about seven undetermined explosions, 300 projectiles in flight, 43 muzzle flashes and 11 bursts, all 2-4km east-north-east, east and east-south-east.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including 25 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours (two explosions).

Positioned about 500m south of Holubivske (non-government-controlled, 51km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard seven undetermined explosions about 6-8km north-east.

The SMM followed up on reports of a woman who was killed by an explosion near Pionerske (non-government-controlled, 19km east of Luhansk). On 20 August, the mother (70 years old) of the woman (39 years old) told the SMM that her daughter had left their house on 28 July around 12:00 and had died in an explosion reportedly caused by a mine about 300-400m from the village near the bank of the Siverskyi Donets river later the same day. The mother said that her brother and members of the armed formations had retrieved parts of the body, and that she had buried the remains. A local resident (male, 50 years old) told the SMM that he had known the deceased woman for many years and that he had heard an explosion around 13:15 that had shaken the windows of his shop. Two other local residents (a man and a woman) separately told the SMM that they knew the deceased woman and that they had heard the explosion on 28 July around midday. The SMM was unable to visit the site of the explosion due to security considerations.

The SMM continued to monitor 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 19 August, inside the Zolote disengagement area, an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted three fresh craters assessed as impacts of mortar rounds 1km north from the southern edge of the disengagement area and about 1.8km west of its eastern edge (not visible in imagery from 17 August 2018). The SMM assessed that the rounds were fired from a probable northerly direction. The craters were spotted within 90m from a set of four fires, in an area where on 19 August the SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable firefighting activity near the southern edge of the Zolote disengagement area. (See SMM Daily Report 20 August 2018).

The same UAV spotted a well-maintained trench in the Zolote disengagement area, about 900m north of the disengagement area’s southern edge and about 1.4km west of its eastern edge, which the Mission had previously observed (see SMM Daily Report 25 July 2018).

On the evening of 19 August, positioned on the eastern edge of Stanytsia Luhanska, the SMM heard a shot of an undetermined weapon 3-4km south (unable to assess whether inside or outside the disengagement area). On 20 August, positioned inside the disengagement area about 600m north of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the SMM heard 18 explosions assessed as impacts of rounds of undetermined weapon(s) about 3-4km north-west (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 a government-controlled area, on 18 August, an SMM long-range UAV spotted 18 self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) at the railway station in Kostiantynivka (60km north of Donetsk).

In violation of withdrawal lines in a non-government-controlled area, on 18 August, an SMM long-range UAV again spotted six multiple launch rocket systems (BM-21 Grad, 122mm) at a compound east of Khrustalnyi (formerly Krasnyi Luch, 56km south-west of Luhansk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites in government-controlled areas, on 19 August, an SMM mini-UAV spotted 18 tanks (T-64) and two surface-to-air missile systems (9K35, Strela-10) near Zatyshne (64km south-west of Donetsk). On 20 August, the SMM saw 18 tanks (T-64B) loaded on train flatbeds at the railway station in Kostiantynivka.

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites in non-government-controlled areas, on 18 August, an SMM long-range UAV spotted three self-propelled howitzers (2S1) near Teple (formerly Krasnodon, 33km south-east of Luhansk) and again spotted 18 towed howitzers (ten 2A65 Msta-B, 152mm and eight 2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm) at a compound east of Khrustalnyi.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles and an anti-aircraft gun[3] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, on 18 August, an SMM long-range UAV spotted three armoured combat vehicles (types undetermined) near Troitske (69km west of Luhansk). The SMM observed an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (type undetermined) near Zolote-4/Rodina (59km west of Luhansk) as well as an APC (MT-LB with an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) mounted on it and an infantry fighting vehicle (BTR-4) north-east of Stepove (30km north-east of Luhansk).

The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the DFS, including through monitoring adherence to the ceasefire. Positioned in areas near the station, the SMM recorded ceasefire violations, despite explicit security guarantees (see the table below).

The SMM also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to residential houses in Avdiivka (government-controlled, 17km north of Donetsk), to Petrivske water pumping station infrastructure in Nyzhnoteple (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk), to water pipelines near Novotoshkivske (government-controlled, 53km west of Luhansk) and to a water channel junction in Stanytsia Luhanska, as well as to enable the installation of a new water pipeline near Pervomaisk (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk).

The SMM visited a border area outside of government control. While at a border crossing point near Marynivka (78km east of Donetsk) for about 45 minutes, the SMM saw 29 vehicles (nine with Ukrainian, 19 with Russian Federation and one with Latvian licence plates), including two covered cargo trucks, exiting Ukraine, and 13 vehicles (four with Ukrainian and nine with Russian Federation licence plates), including a covered cargo truck, entering Ukraine.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, 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, 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 Coordination (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 15 August 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 heavy weapons holding area in a nongovernment-controlled area of Donetsk region, three armed members of the armed formations denied the SMM access to the site, saying that “there is no order to allow SMM entry.”
• At a checkpoint about 2.5km west of Bezimenne (nongovernment-controlled, 30km east of Mariupol), four armed members of the armed formations again prevented the SMM from proceeding west on road E58, with one of the armed members citing “demining activities in the area”.
• On a road south of Markyne (nongovernment-controlled, 94km south of Donetsk), four armed members of the armed formations prevented the SMM from traveling east toward the border area, citing an “ongoing special operation”.

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 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 south of the bridge. A member of the armed formations told the SMM that no demining had taken place. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed.

[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 the presence of mines, including those on a road between Bohdanivka and Petrivske, the SMM’s access to its camera in Petrivske remains limited; thus, 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.