Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 13 January 2019

This report is for the media and the general public.

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 11 and 12 January, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region.
• Between the evenings of 12 and 13 January, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous 24 hours.
• Small arms were fired in the direction of an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near Chermalyk, Donetsk region.
• Small-arms fire damaged a house in a residential area of Chermalyk.
• The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area.
• The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk region.
• Participants of a gathering in Kherson demanded the release of a Crimean Tatar activist reportedly detained in Simferopol.
• Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. The SMM was also restricted at a railway station in Voznesenivka, an area near the border with the Russian Federation.*

Ceasefire violations[1]

In Donetsk region, between the evenings of 11 and 12 January, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including about 20 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (34 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded in areas south-west and north-west of the railway station in Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk) and south and south-west of the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk).

Between the evenings of 12 and 13 January, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including about 80 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours. The majority of ceasefire violations, including the majority of explosions, were recorded in areas south of the DFS, south-east of Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), as well as areas south and west of Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk).

On the morning of 12 January, while conducting a mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight across the contact line in areas south-east of Chermalyk (government-controlled, 31km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM heard uncountable bursts of small-arms fire at an assessed range of about 2km south-south-east, assessed as aimed at the UAV, which at the time was flying over non-government-controlled areas about 1km south-south-east of the patrol’s position. The Mission recalled and safely landed the mini-UAV (see below).*

In Luhansk region, between the evenings of 11 and 12 January, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including one explosion, compared with the previous reporting period (12 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded in areas south-west of Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk).

Between the evenings of 12 and 13 January, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including one explosion, compared with the previous 24 hours. The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded in areas west of Kalynove (non-government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) and south-west of Molodizhne (non-government-controlled, 63km north-west of Luhansk).

Small-arms fire damaged a house in a residential area of Chermalyk

On 12 January, at 76 Myra Street in Chermalyk, the SMM saw a fresh hole in a corrugated metal sheet which was partially covering a south-facing window of a one-storey house. The SMM also saw another hole in the window pane behind the corrugated metal sheet. Inside the house, about 1.5m from the damaged window, the SMM saw a hole in a doorframe. The SMM assessed the damage as caused by a single round (7.62mm) of small-arms fire from a south-south-easterly direction. About 2m south of the house, the SMM saw a hole in the west-facing wooden doorframe of a barn. Lodged inside the hole, the SMM saw a bullet (7.62mm) pointing north-north-west. The SMM assessed that the hole was caused by a round fired from a south-south-easterly direction.

A resident of the house (female, in her forties) told the SMM that the aforementioned window (in the bedroom) had been damaged on 11 January between 22:00 and 22:45. She added that she had taken shelter in the kitchen together with her husband, two children and a relative with limited mobility, due to ongoing fighting during that time. The same day, the SMM launched a mini-UAV over the area and heard bursts of small-arms fire, assessed as aimed at the UAV (see above).*

Disengagement areas[2]

On the evening of 11 January, the SMM camera in Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) recorded two bursts at an assessed range of 3-5km south-east (assessed as inside the disengagement area) as well as two projectiles in flight at an assessed range of 5-8km east-south-east (assessed as outside the disengagement area). During the day on 12 January, the same camera recorded six projectiles at an assessed range of 0.5-1.5km east and east-south-east (all assessed as outside the disengagement area).

During the evening and night of 12-13 January, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded 12 projectiles at an assessed range of 2-4.5km south-east (assessed as inside the disengagement area) and one projectile at an assessed range of 1-3km east (assessed as outside the disengagement area). During the day on 13 January, the same camera recorded two projectiles at an assessed range of 1-2km east-south-east (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

On the evening of 11 January, while on the eastern edge of Stanytsia Luhanska, the SMM heard an explosion assessed as a mortar round at an assessed range of 3-5km west-south-west (assessed as outside the disengagement area). During the day on 12 January, while at the same location, the SMM heard 25 shots of small-arms fire at an assessed range of 3-5km west-south-west (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

On 12 January, positioned close to the disengagement area near Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), the SMM observed a calm situation.[3]

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.

Weapon storage sites[4]

Heavy weapons storage sites beyond the respective withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region

12 January

• Six multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) (BM-21 Grad, 122mm), six self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) and 12 mortars (11 PM-38, 120mm and one 2B11 Sani, 120mm) continued to be missing.

Heavy weapons storage sites beyond the respective withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas of Donetsk region

13 January

• A surface-to-air missile system (9K35 Strela-10) and 12 MLRS (BM-21) were present,
• Two surface-to-air missile systems (9K35), 23 MLRS (BM-21) and a self-propelled howitzer (2S1) were again missing.

Indications of military in the security zone[5]

Government-controlled areas

11 January

• Two armoured personnel carriers (APC) (BMP-2, 30mm) in Svitlodarsk
• Two APCs (MT-LB) in Klynove (68km north-east of Donetsk)
• Three infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) (BMP variant) north of the Zolote disengagement area
• Two IFVs (BMP variants) in Zolote-3/Stakhanovets (61km west of Luhansk)
• An IFV (BMP-1) near Zolote-2/Karbonit (62km west of Luhansk)

SMM facilitation of repair works to civilian infrastructure

The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to a water pipeline in Pivdenne (government-controlled, 40km north-east of Donetsk). It continued to facilitate the operation of the DFS.

Border areas not under government control

On 12 January, while at a border crossing point near Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk) for one hour, the SMM saw 30 cars (five with Ukrainian, 19 with Russian Federation licence plates and six with “DPR” plates) as well as a bus and a minibus (both with Ukrainian licence plates) entering Ukraine. The SMM also saw 34 cars (seven with Ukrainian, 15 with Russian Federation, one with Lithuanian licence plates and 11 with “DPR” plates) and two buses (one with Ukrainian licence plates and one with “DPR” plates) exiting Ukraine.

On 13 January, while at a border crossing point near Voznesenivka (formerly Chervonopartyzansk, 65km south-east of Luhansk) for about 15 minutes, the SMM saw four cars (one with Ukrainian and three with Russian Federation licence plates), one truck with Ukrainian licence plates and five pedestrians (three males in their forties and two females in their thirties) entering Ukraine. The SMM also saw three pedestrians (two females in their forties and a male in his thirties) exiting Ukraine.

On the same day, at the railway station in Voznesenivka, the SMM saw more than 60 cargo wagons, including 12 fuel tanks, all of which were assessed as empty. The SMM also observed 60 train wagons, loaded with coal, travelling towards the border with the Russian Federation. In the last wagon, the SMM saw two armed members of the armed formations. After about ten minutes, two members of the armed formations present at the railway station asked the SMM to leave the area.*

Participants of a gathering in Kherson demanded the release of a Crimean Tatar activist reportedly detained in Simferopol

On 12 January, the SMM saw about 50 people (mixed ages and gender) gathered in front of the Regional Administration building in Kherson in support of Kherson-based Crimean Tatar activist Edem Bekirov, who had reportedly been detained in Simferopol on 12 December.  Some of the participants were holding Crimean Tatar flags. The SMM saw five police officers securing the event, which ended without incidents.

The Mission continued monitoring in Odessa, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, 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 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 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:

• On 13 January, at the railway station in Voznesenivka, two armed members of the armed formations asked the SMM to leave the area.

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.

Other impediments:

• On 12 January, while conducting a mini-UAV flight in areas south-east of Chermalyk, the SMM heard uncountable bursts of small-arms fire at an assessed range of about 2km south-south-east, assessed as aimed at the UAV, which it landed safely.

[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. During the reporting period, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint near Pyshchevyk was not operational and winter weather conditions limited the observation capabilities of some of the SMM cameras.

[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] Due to the presence of mines, including on a road between Bohdanivka and Petrivske, the SMM’s access to its camera in Petrivske remains limited, and thus the SMM has not been able to access observations from the camera since 22 June 2018.

[4] The SMM visited areas holding weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage did not comply with the criteria set out in the 16 October 2015 notification from the SMM to the signatories of the Package of Measures on effective monitoring and verification of the withdrawal of heavy weapons. The SMM noted that two such sites (both in non-government-controlled areas) continued to be abandoned.

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