Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 13 June 2019
This report is for the media and the general public.
Summary
- Compared with the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region.
- The SMM saw damage from shelling to two residential properties and fresh craters in Nova Marivka, as well as damage to a house in Travneve and craters near a gas pipeline near Novoluhanske.
- The Mission recorded ceasefire violations and observed an extended trench inside the Zolote disengagement area.
- The SMM saw a surface-to-air missile system in violation of withdrawal lines in Khreshchatytske.
- It saw pieces of unexploded ordnance for the first time in Popasna and Hruzko-Lomivka.
- The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line.
- Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere.
Ceasefire violations[1]
In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, however, a similar number of explosions (about 110), compared with the previous reporting period. The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded at easterly and southerly directions of Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), at southerly directions of Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol and at easterly directions of Hnutove (government-controlled, 20km north-east of Mariupol).
In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions (about 310), compared with the previous reporting period (about 130 explosions). Almost all ceasefire violations, including about 290 explosions, were recorded in areas east-south-east and north-north-east of Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk).
Fresh damage to residential properties in Nova Marivka
On 12 June, at a one-storey house at 20 Tsentralna Street in Nova Marivka (non-government-controlled, 64km south of Donetsk), the SMM saw that part of a concrete outer west-facing wall had collapsed, slates were completely missing from the west-facing side of the roof and a west-facing door had been dislodged. About 10m north of the house, the SMM saw a shed with only its outer south-facing wall and doorway intact, and its outer north-facing wall partially intact, with the rest of the shed and its roof completely destroyed, and debris on the ground. The SMM saw a fuse, assessed as from a 122mm or 152mm artillery round, near the shed. The SMM assessed that all abovementioned damage was fresh and caused by rounds of an undetermined weapon. A resident of the house (woman, 40-50 years old) told the SMM that while inside her house, she had heard three explosions nearby on the evening and night of 8-9 June.
About 50m west of the house, in the south-facing outer wall of a one storey house at 22 Tsentralna Street, the SMM saw about 25 fresh shrapnel holes, three shattered windows and concrete dislodged from around one window frame, as well as cement roof panels missing from the roof on the same side. The SMM saw a partially collapsed west-facing outer wall of the house and an inner west-facing wall with about ten shrapnel holes, as well as cement roof sheeting missing from the roof on the same side. The SMM saw a fresh crater about 2m in diameter and 1m in depth, about 3m south of the house, and assessed the crater and all abovementioned damage as caused by a round of an undetermined weapon. About 20m south-east of the latter house, the SMM saw a fresh crater, 2.5m in diameter and 1.1m in depth, in a field about 5m north of a road, assessed to have been caused by an artillery round (122mm or 152mm). The SMM assessed damage and craters at all above locations were caused by fire from a south-westerly direction.
While attempting to follow up on reports of the abovementioned damage, the SMM observed a previously reported fallen tree partially blocking the road to Nova Marivka, with a white board with “Stop! Mines” written on it in Russian, which forced the SMM to take an alternate route.
Damage to a house in Travneve
On 12 June, an SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted roof slates missing on the north-western corner of a roof and dislodged window lintels on a north-facing wall of an uninhabited two-storey house at 2 Tsentralna Street in Travneve (government-controlled, 51km north-east of Donetsk) (not seen on imagery from 16 April 2019). The SMM assessed that the damage was caused by a probable mortar round.
Craters near Novoluhanske
On 12 June, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted two craters in a field, assessed as caused by 122mm artillery rounds fired from a south-easterly direction, about 140m west of an elevated gas pipeline close to the Bakhmut Agrarian Union's pig farm near Novoluhanske (government-controlled, 53km north-east of Donetsk).
Disengagement areas[2]
In the early morning hours of 13 June, the SMM camera in Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) recorded three projectiles in flight, at an assessed range of 2-4km south-east, assessed as inside the disengagement area, and two projectiles in flight at an assessed range of 1-2km east-south-east, which were unable to be assessed as inside or outside the disengagement area.
Aerial imagery available to the SMM revealed on 11 June a 5m-long extension of a trench running from east to west inside the Zolote disengagement area, west of road T1316 and next to the railway bridge close to previously observed positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The same imagery revealed new material, assessed as probable sandbags and equipment used to build a defensive position, about 500m east of the area’s western edge and about 430m north of its southern edge, close to previously observed positions of the armed formations. The imagery also revealed two craters about 250m west of road T1316 and about 700m north of the area’s southern edge (all were not seen in imagery from 27 May 2019.)
During the day on 13 June, positioned inside the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk) and 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.
In violation of withdrawal lines
Non-government-controlled areas
12 June
An SMM long-range UAV spotted a surface-to-air missile system (9K35 Strela-10) in Khreshchatytske (formerly Krasnoarmiiske, 86km south of Donetsk), in a zone within which deployment of heavy armament and military equipment is further proscribed according to Point 5 of the Memorandum of 19 September 2014.
Beyond withdrawal lines but outside of designated storage sites:
Government-controlled areas
13 June
The SMM saw:
- a tank (T-72) near Illinka (37km west of Donetsk) and
- a tank (T-64) near Dachenske (49km north-west of Donetsk).
Non-government-controlled areas
12 June
An SMM mid-range UAV spotted 13 tanks (nine T-72, three T-64 and one T-55) in a training area near Pokrovka (36km east of Donetsk) (for previous observations see SMM Daily Report 25 May 2019).
Indications of military and military-type presence in the security zone[4]
Government-controlled areas
12 June
An SMM mini-UAV spotted three infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) (two BMD variants and one BMD-1) and two armoured personnel carriers (APC) (Saxon) in Voitove (33km north-west of Luhansk).
An SMM long-range UAV spotted:
- an APC (BTR-80) near Pyshchevyk; and
- an APC (BTR-80) near Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk).
The SMM saw:
- a trench digger fastened to a military truck near Verkhnotoretske (23km north-east of Donetsk).
13 June
The SMM saw an IFV (BTR-4) near Novobakhmutivka (28km north of Donetsk).
Non-government-controlled areas
13 June
The SMM saw:
- two APCs (BTR-60) on the north-western outskirts of Luhansk city and
- an IFV (BMP-1) in Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk).
Unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Popasna, Hruzko-Lomivka and Ilovaisk
At a checkpoint on the eastern edge of Popasna, on a road used regularly by the SMM, the Mission saw two tailfins for the first time in the middle of the road, assessed as from rounds of a rocket propelled grenade launcher: one between the checkpoint’s concrete barricades, along with cartridge cases from grenade launchers and small-arms nearby, and the other about 15m south-east of the barricades.
North-east of Hruzko-Lomivka (non-government-controlled, 25km south-east of Donetsk), on the eastern edge of the road, the SMM saw for the first time a piece of UXO, assessed as a projectile from a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) (BM-27 Uragan, 220mm), embedded in the ground.
In Ilovaisk, (non-government-controlled, 30km south-east of Donetsk), the SMM saw that a previously observed projectile from an MLRS (BM-21 Grad, 122mm) had been removed from the sidewalk. Also in Ilovaisk the SMM saw that two previously observed pieces of UXO, assessed as probable projectiles from an MLRS rocket (Grad-type, 122mm), embedded in the eastern and western edges of a road on the southern outskirts of the city are still present.
SMM facilitation of repairs to civilian infrastructure
The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk), to a water pipeline between Zolote-3/Stakhanovets (government-controlled, 61km west of Luhansk) and Popasna, and to high voltage power lines in Kruta Balka (non-government-controlled, 16km north of Donetsk).
The SMM facilitated the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) and continued to monitor the security situation in the area of the pumping station near Vasylivka (non-government-controlled, 20km north of Donetsk).
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, 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 on Control and Co-ordination 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 12 June 2019). 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.
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 13 June, an SMM mid-range UAV experienced GPS signal interference, assessed as due to probable jamming, while flying near Lebedynske (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Mariupol).[5]
- On the evening and night of 12-13 June, an SMM long-range UAV experienced GPS signal interference, assessed as due to jamming, while flying over government and non-government controlled areas of Donetsk region.
[1] For a complete breakdown of ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table.
[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 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 hardware mentioned in this section is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.
[5] The interference could have originated from anywhere within a radius of kilometres from the UAVs’ positions.