Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 6 December 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The SMM continued to observe hardships faced by civilians at checkpoints along the contact line and followed up on reports that civilians had remained after closing hours in the area between the checkpoint of the armed formations and the entry-exit checkpoint of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Maiorsk.
• It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line, as well as to damaged houses in Marinka. The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station.
• The Mission followed up on reports of vandalism in a Polish Military Cemetery in Lviv.
• The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and at a checkpoint near Novolaspa.*

Ceasefire violations[1]

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including, however, more explosions (about 130), compared with the previous reporting period (about 110 explosions). About two-thirds of the explosions were recorded in areas south-east and south-west of Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk).

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including ten explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 630 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations, including all ten explosions, were recorded at southerly and south-westerly directions of Kriakivka (government-controlled, 38km north-west of Luhansk).

Disengagement areas[2]

Inside the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk), at the broken section of the bridge, the SMM saw that a small plank of wood had been nailed down to cover over the hole which had been previously observed on 3 December in one of the wooden ramps (see SMM Daily Report 4 December 2018).

Positioned in areas close to the disengagement area near Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk), the SMM observed a calm situation.

Withdrawal of weapons

The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons in implementation of the Memorandum and the Package of Measures and its Addendum.

Beyond the withdrawal lines but outside of designated storage sites

Government-controlled areas

6 December

- A surface-to-air missile system (9K35 Strela-10) near Volnovakha (53km south of Donetsk)

Indications of military presence in the security zone[3]

Government-controlled areas

6 December

• Five infantry fighting vehicles (BMP-1) (four stationary and one heading west) in Muratove (51km north-west of Luhansk)
• Two armoured personnel carriers (type undetermined) south-west of Artema (26km north of Luhansk)
• Three armoured reconnaissance vehicles (BRDM-2) near Kamianka (20km north of Donetsk).

Presence of mine hazard signs

On a road leading to the entrance of an abandoned agricultural compound on the northern edge of Syhnalne (non-government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM saw for the first time one red mine hazard sign with a skull and crossbones and the inscriptions “Stop, Mines” in Ukrainian and Russian languages. The sign was attached to a chain obstructing passage to the aforementioned compound.

Hardships faced by civilians at checkpoints along the contact line

At the checkpoint of the armed formations south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, at 10:40, the SMM saw about 500 people queuing to travel toward government-controlled areas and about 40 queuing in the opposite direction. The Mission saw another 120 people queuing at a nearby bus stop. About three hours later, the SMM saw about 600 people queuing to travel towards government-controlled areas and about 400 people queuing in the opposite direction.    

At the entry-exit checkpoint north of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, at 12:05, the SMM observed about 200 people queuing to exit government-controlled areas and about 500 people queuing in the opposite direction. About one hour later, the Mission saw 250 people queuing to exit government-controlled areas and 350 people queuing in the opposite direction. It also saw about 100 people (mostly elderly, mixed gender) queuing in front of a cash machine in an adjacent parking lot. A representative of an international organization told the SMM that they had treated four people for injuries caused by falls due to the slippery surface of the bridge. The SMM observed that the wooden ramps at the broken section of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge remained wet and slippery.

On the evening of 6 December, the SMM followed up on reports that 17 cars with 44 people, including two children, had remained in the area between the checkpoint of the armed formations and the entry-exit checkpoint of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Maiorsk (government-controlled, 45km north-east of Donetsk), after closing hours. Following the SMM’s facilitation, at about 22:00, a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer to the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) told the SMM that all people had been allowed entry into the entry-exit checkpoint area and, at 00:35, they had been able to continue their journey into government-controlled areas.   

SMM facilitation of repairs to civilian infrastructure

The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to the Petrivske water pumping station near Artema, to water pipelines near Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk) and near Holubivka (formerly Kirovsk, non-government-controlled, 51km west of Luhansk), to power lines in Zolote-4/Rodina (government-controlled, 59km west of Luhansk), as well as to damaged houses in Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk) and to the phenol sludge reservoir near Zalizne (formerly Artemove, government-controlled, 42km north-east of Donetsk). The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station.

Reported vandalism to a Polish Military Cemetery in Lviv

In Lviv, the SMM followed up on reports that unknown individuals had vandalized a monument located in the Polish Military Cemetery on the territory of Lychakiv cemetery in the early hours of 5 December. At 33 Mechnykova Street, the Mission saw that plywood boards covering the two Lion statues of the monument were cracked on one side. The director of the cemetery told the SMM that the plywood board was damaged around 02:00 on 5 December. According to the police, criminal proceedings had been initiated under Article 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

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

*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 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, SMM Daily Report 3 December 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.

Denials of access:

-  Two armed members of the armed formations at a checkpoint on the eastern edge of Novolaspa (non-government controlled, 50km south of Donetsk) again denied the SMM access to the village, citing “security risks for the SMM”.

Regular restrictions related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

The sides continued to deny the SMM full access to the three disengagement areas, as well as the ability to travel certain roads previously identified as important for effective monitoring by the Mission and for civilians’ movement, through failure to conduct comprehensive clearance of mines and UXO.

[1] For a complete breakdown of ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table. The SMM camera in Hranitne and Krasnohorivka were not operational during the reporting period.

[2] Disengagement is foreseen in the Framework Decision of the Trilateral Contact Group relating to disengagement of forces and hardware of 21 September 2016.

[3] The hardware mentioned in this section is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.