Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 28 June 2019

This report is for the media and the general public.

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region.
• The Mission observed demining activities and removal of concrete blocks and other objects inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area.
• The SMM followed up on reports of a woman injured due to shelling in Oleksandrivka.
• It saw damage caused by gunfire to and near civilian houses and a church in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka and Pikuzy.
• An SMM long-range UAV was lost in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region.
• The Mission saw weapons in violations of withdrawal lines in a government-controlled area in Luhansk region.
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate the operations of critical civilian infrastructure.
• Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere. Its freedom of movement was also denied near Novoazovsk and Kozatske, and in areas near the border with the Russian Federation, all in non-government-controlled areas.*

Ceasefire violations[1]

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions (about 460), compared with the previous reporting period (about 190 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded at north-easterly directions of the SMM camera at Oktiabr Mine (non-government-controlled, 9km north-west of Donetsk) at southerly directions of Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol) and at northerly and westerly directions of Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk).

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including no explosions compared with the previous reporting period (about 50 explosions).

Disengagement in the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area

On 28 June, from 06:30 to 16:00, positioned near the checkpoint of the armed formations south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (15km north-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw members of the armed formations with three trucks dismantling a wooden roof of a shed and removing two containers and a tyre wall. From 09:50 to 11:10, the Mission also observed five members of the armed formations and people in civilian clothing removing eight concrete blocks all located about 17m south-west of the checkpoint.

At about 17:45, positioned next to the Prince Ihor Monument about 250m south-east of the south-eastern edge of the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM saw that three new containers and 20 concrete blocks had been placed about 50m south-south-west of the monument. It also observed three workers connecting electrical cables to the containers. Senior members of the armed formations told the SMM that these facilities will be used to check civilians traveling towards government-controlled areas.

On the morning of the same day, the SMM observed that the queuing shelter, inside the disengagement area, about 700m north of the wooden ramp at the broken part of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge was empty of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel or hardware. From 10:30 to 15:00, the SMM observed demining teams composed of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel and representatives of the State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine conducting demining activities at a distance of up to 5m on both sides of the road that leads from the entry-exit checkpoint to the wooden ramp.

At around 16:00, the SMM saw personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and SES representatives with a truck and a tractor removing concrete blocks, tyres and logs near a bunker at the most forward position of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (about 300m north-north-west from the wooden ramp at the broken part of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge) and removing camouflage netting from the same bunker. Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel told the SMM that a piece of unexploded ordnance (UXO) had also been removed from the bunker.

At about 11:15, the head of the Ukrainian delegation in the Trilateral Contact Group and SMM members walked to the wooden ramp at the broken part of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. At 14:00, the SMM saw that positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the railway bridge, inside the disengagement area, were empty of personnel or hardware.

Throughout the day, the SMM saw few people queuing to enter and exit government-controlled areas at both the entry-exit checkpoint north of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge and at the checkpoint of the armed formations south of the bridge, and subsequently crossing the bridge. (For recent observations, see SMM Daily Report 27 June 2019 and SMM Daily Report 28 June 2019).

A woman injured due to shelling in Oleksandrivka

On 28 June, the SMM followed up on reports of a woman (aged 70) injured due to shelling in Oleksandrivka (non-government-controlled, 20km south-west of Donetsk). At a hospital in the Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city (non-government-controlled, 15km south-west of Donetsk city centre), the SMM saw the woman with blood-stained bandages on her legs, head, arms, chest and stomach. On 18 June, medical staff had told the SMM that the woman had been admitted to the hospital with shrapnel injuries. The woman told the SMM that she was at her house at 10 Hoholia Street in Oleksandrivka on the evening of 14 June when shelling had occurred. She also told the SMM that two pieces of shrapnel still needed to be removed from her body.

Damage due to shelling to an inhabited house and a church in Pikuzy

On 27 June, the SMM followed up on reports of shelling in the centre of Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol). At 32 Akhmatovoi Street, the SMM saw a crater (with a fuse tunnel in it) located 12m south of a single-storey house as well as shrapnel marks on a gate, 10m south of the same house, and broken branches and chipped bark on five trees nearby. The SMM assessed the damage as fresh and caused by an 82mm mortar round fired from a westerly direction. Within a 10m radius of the same house, the SMM saw four other craters (one near its north-western corner, two near a south-facing wall and one near a west-facing wall of the same house) as well as shrapnel damage to the same west-facing wall and broken branches and chipped bark on five trees nearby. Near the crater close to the west-facing wall, the SMM saw what it assessed as a percussion fuse cap of an automatic grenade launcher projectile. The SMM assessed the four craters as recent and caused by automatic-grenade-launcher (AGS) rounds (30mm) fired from a westerly direction. The owners of the house (woman and man, aged 50-60) told the SMM that they had been at home when they heard explosions in the afternoon of 26 June and in the afternoon of 16 June (for previous observations in the area, see SMM Daily Report 28 June 2019 and SMM Daily Report 24 June 2019)

About 400m east of the house, the SMM saw five craters all within a 20m radius of a church (one on its north side, two on its south side and two on its west side with fuse tunnels in all of them) as well as shrapnel marks on the north-, south- and west-facing walls of the same church. The SMM assessed the damage as fresh and caused by 82mm mortar rounds fired from a westerly direction.

Fresh damage caused by gunfire to residential buildings in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka

On 27 June, the SMM saw a hole assessed as fresh in a west-facing window and fresh scarring in an inside wall of a two-storey house at 12 Lizy Chaikinoi Street in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk). The SMM assessed the damage as caused by a small-arms round (5.45mm), which had pierced the window and ricocheted off the wall. About 200m east of the house, at 1 Dundycha Street, the SMM saw damage in a west-facing window on the second floor in a two-storey residential building: four holes, one in the left window pane and three overlapping in the partially shattered right window pane, and a damaged window frame. The SMM assessed the damage as fresh and caused by a round of small arms. Within a 15m radius of the damaged window, the SMM saw several pieces of a plastic window frame lying on the ground. Several residents of the neighbourhood (mixed gender, aged 50-55) told the SMM that the buildings had sustained damage in the evening of 26 June and early morning of 27 June.

On 28 June, at 2 Dundycha Street, the SMM saw two holes in a north-west facing window pane of an apartment on the fourth floor of a residential building. The SMM assessed the damage as recent and caused by small-arms rounds (7.62mm). In the same apartment, the SMM saw a hole in a curtain covering a north-west facing balcony door and scarring in a wooden cabinet opposite the balcony door. The SMM assessed the damage was caused by a small-arms round. The owner (woman, aged 58) said that a bullet had pierced the curtain (while the balcony door was open) in the early morning of 27 June while the other damage had been caused in the evening of 26 May and early morning of 13 June.

SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle lost near contact line in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region

In the evening hours of 27 June, an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was flying near Zaichenko (non-government-controlled, 93km south of Donetsk) when it began to rapidly lose power and altitude (after the temperature of the UAV’s engine had reached high levels). The SMM attempted to land the UAV in an area south of Verkhnoshyrokivske (formerly Oktiabr, non-government-controlled, 85km south of Donetsk) but lost communication with it (see SMM Spot Report 28 June 2019).

Small-arms fire in the direction of SMM mini-UAV near Vyskryva

While conducting a mini-UAV flight near Vyskryva (government-controlled, 76km west of Luhansk), the SMM recorded 12 bursts of small-arms fire at an assessed range of 1-1.5km south-east, assessed as aimed at the UAV, which was flying about 1.4km south-east of the SMM position. The SMM safely landed the UAV and left the area.

Other disengagement areas[2]

During the evening of 27 June, while in Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard two bursts of small-arms fire, at an assessed range of 5-7km east, assessed as outside the disengagement area near Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk), but within its 5km periphery.

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.

In violation of withdrawal lines

Government-controlled areas

28 June

The SMM saw four multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) (BM-27 Uragan, 220mm) near Lyman (91km north of Luhansk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside of designated storage sites

Government-controlled areas

27 June

An SMM long-range UAV spotted two surface-to-air missile systems (9K33 Osa and 9K35 Strela-10) near Kalynove (35km north of Donetsk) (for previous observations see SMM Daily Report 20 June 2019).

Weapons that the SMM could not verify as withdrawn[4]

At heavy weapons holding areas in government-controlled areas in Luhansk region

28 June

The SMM noted that:

• 39 MLRS (33 BM-27 and six BM-21 Grad, 122mm) continued to be missing.

Indications of military and military-type presence in the security zone[5]

Government-controlled areas

27 June

An SMM long-range UAV spotted:

• an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) in Pervomaiske (17km north-west of Donetsk);
• an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-2) near Nevelske (18km north-west of Donetsk);
• an IFV (BMP-2) and two armoured personnel carriers (APC) (BTR-70) near Hranitne (60km south of Donetsk); and
• two APCs (MT-LB) near Hnutove (90km south of Donetsk).

The SMM saw an APC (BTR-80) and six military trucks towing five APCs (BTR-70) and an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) near Plotyna (28km north-east of Luhansk).

28 June

The SMM saw:

• an IFV (BTR-4) near Novobakhmutivka (28km north of Donetsk) and
• an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) in Popasna.

On 27 June, an SMM mini-UAV spotted five fresh craters in a field about 1km west-north-west of Katerynivka (government-controlled, 64km west of Luhansk), assessed as caused by the controlled detonation of UXO (not seen in imagery from 8 April 2019).

On the same day, an SMM mini-UAV spotted at least ten craters (not seen in imagery from 25 May 2019), assessed as caused by 82mm rounds, in a field about 1km north-east of the Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city. The SMM was unable to assess the direction of fire. While conducting the mini-UAV flight, the SMM heard shots of small-arms fire assessed as aimed at the UAV (for more information, see SMM Daily Report 28 June 2019).

Presence of unexploded ordnance and mine hazard signs

About 10m north of Akhmatovoi Street in Pikuzy (see above), the SMM saw for the first time an UXO assessed as an unexploded RPG-7 grenade with one of the four stabilizing (extended) fins missing. At 32 Akhmatovoi Street, the SMM saw for the first time several bullets (7.62mm) of an assault rifle and two intact 12.7mm incendiary bullets on the ground. About 15m south-east of a church in the same settlement, the SMM also saw another 12.7mm unexploded incendiary bullet lying on the ground.

On a road about 500m north of Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM saw for the first time a 12.7mm incendiary bullet lying on the ground. The Mission also saw two 12.7mm incendiary bullets lying on a road respectively 500m north and 500m south of Uzhivka (formerly Leninske, non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol).

The SMM observed for the first time two mine hazard signs reading “Warning Access “passage” in this territory is dangerous” in Ukrainian, about 2.5km apart from each other on the north-eastern edge of a road between Novotroitske (government-controlled, 36km south-west of Donetsk) and Mykolaivka (government-controlled, 40km south of Donetsk) and a third sign located on the edge of the same road about 1.4km north-west of Mykolaivka.

SMM facilitation of operations of civilian infrastructure

The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) and to monitor the security situation in the area of the pumping station near Vasylivka (non-government-controlled, 20km north of Donetsk).

Border areas outside government control

While at a pedestrian border crossing point near Sievernyi (50km south-east of Luhansk) for about 15 minutes, the SMM saw eight pedestrians (mixed gender and ages) entering Ukraine as well as seven pedestrians (mixed gender and ages) exiting Ukraine.

While at the pedestrian border crossing point near Verkhnoharasymivka (57km south-east of Luhansk) for about 25 minutes, the SMM saw 13 pedestrians (mixed gender and ages) entering Ukraine and seven pedestrians (mixed gender and ages) exiting Ukraine.

While at a border crossing point near Izvaryne (52km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw 30 cars (seven with Ukrainian, 12 with Russian Federation and four with Lithuanian licence plates and seven with “LPR” plates), 11 trucks (six with Ukrainian and one with Belarusian licence plates and four with “LPR” plates), a bus (with Ukrainian licence plates) and 15 pedestrians (mixed gender and ages) queuing to exit Ukraine. After about five minutes, a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.*

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 for 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.

Denial of access:

• At a checkpoint at the northern entrance to Novoazovsk (non-government-controlled, 40km east of Mariupol), three armed members of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage south into the town and south-east towards Siedove (non-government-controlled, 106km south of Donetsk), citing an “ongoing operation” in the area.
• At a checkpoint east of Kozatske (non-government-controlled, 36km north-east of Mariupol), two armed members of the armed formations denied the SMM passage east towards Porokhnia (non-government-controlled, 40km north-east of Mariupol) citing orders from their superiors.
• At a border crossing point near Izvaryne (non-government-controlled, 52km south-east of Luhansk), a member of the armed formations told 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.

Conditional access:

• At a checkpoint in Staromykhailivka (non-government-controlled, 15km west of Donetsk), a member of the armed formations allowed the SMM to proceed to the settlement only while accompanied by a member of the armed formations.

Other impediments:

• Four SMM mini-UAVs experienced GPS signal interference, assessed as probably caused by jamming, while flying near Verkhnoshyrokivske (formerly Oktiabr, non-government-controlled, 29km north-east of Mariupol), Novotroitske (government-controlled, 36km south-west of Donetsk), Zaichenko (non-government-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol) and Kulykove (non-government-controlled, 30km north-east of Mariupol). [6]

 

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

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

[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 SMM visited areas previously 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 one such site was abandoned.

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

[6] The interference could have originated from anywhere within a radius of kilometres from the UAVs’ positions.