Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 10 July 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 both Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
- The SMM saw fresh damage to houses due to shelling in Holubivske and Khreshchatytske.
- The SMM saw anti-tank mines near Shchastia and Vesela Hora.
- The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs and the operations of critical civilian infrastructure.
- Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including in non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske. *
Ceasefire violations[1]
In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions (about 281), compared with the previous reporting period (about 167 explosions). The majority of the ceasefire violations were recorded in areas north-north-east of Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk) and south-south-east of Krasnohorivka (government-controlled, 21km west of Donetsk).
In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions (about 84), compared with the previous reporting period (about 62 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded in areas south-south-west of Kriakivka (non-government-controlled, 38km north-west of Luhansk).
Damage to residential houses due to shelling in Holubivske
On 9 July, in Holubivske (non-government-controlled, 51km west of Luhansk), at 45 Yuvileina Street, the SMM saw an inhabited house with its roof covered with tarpaulin covering a fresh hole (60cm long and 40cm wide) on its southern corner, with around one-square-metre ceiling plaster being broken out and roof’s beam being cracked around it, assessed as caused by a projectile that had penetrated the roof. The SMM also observed eight partially destroyed window panes on all walls of the house, with shattered glass inside the rooms and outside the house, a section of the south-facing wall collapsed towards the inside of the house, as well as a fresh crater 1m north-east of the said wall, assessed as caused by a mortar round, along with a hole (2m long and 2m wide) on the wooden wall of an outdoor kitchen, connected to the west-facing side of the house, assessed as shrapnel damage. A 62-year-old resident of the house (man) told the SMM that nobody had been in the house during the shelling. The SMM also observed a crater on the shoulder of the road, 1m south-east of the house, that had been filled with stones. The SMM assessed it as fresh and caused by a mortar round.
About 10m south-south-west of the said house, at 43 Yuvileina Street, the SMM saw that the roof of an inhabited house was covered with tarpaulin covering a hole (around 50cm x 20cm in diameter) on the west-facing part of the roof, assessed as caused by a projectile, which had penetrated the roof. The SMM also saw eight destroyed window panes throughout the house with shattered glass inside and outside the house. A 35-year-old man told the SMM that he was away while his spouse and two children (two and five years old) were inside when a projectile hit the house.
About 30m east-south-east, at 40 Yuvileina Street, on the north-east-facing side of a house, the SMM saw a fresh hole (4m in diameter) on the roof with broken wooden roof beams and roof tiles collapsing inside the house, assessed as caused by a projectile that had penetrated the roof. About 20m north-east, at 70 Yuvileina Street, the SMM saw the north-west-facing side of a roof covered with tarpaulin covering a fresh hole (4m in diameter) assessed as caused by a projectile that had penetrated the roof, along with eight holes on the north-west-facing front door located under the roof. The SMM also observed a collapsed porch roof, several destroyed window panes on the north-western side, with shattered glass inside and outside the house, and several holes on the satellite dish located 1m south of the hole on the roof. A 63-year-old resident of the house told the SMM that he was inside the house during shelling in the morning of 6 July.
Damage to a house and uninhabited areas due to shelling in Khreshchatytske
On 9 July, in Khreshchatytske (formerly Krasnoarmiiske, non-government-controlled, 33km north-east of Mariupol) at 23 Komsomolska Street, the SMM saw an inhabited house with scattered wooden panels. The SMM saw a toppled left part of the west-facing brick wall and a large hole at the right side of the same wall, covered with plastic sheeting as well as a fresh crater 1m west of the west facing brick wall, assessed as caused by a 122mm artillery round fired from a westerly direction. At 16 Komsomolska Street, in the backyard 13m east of the house, the SMM saw a crater assessed as fresh and caused by a 122mm artillery round fired from a westerly direction. About 120m north-north-east, the SMM saw cracked south-facing side of concrete steps outside of the entrance door of an abandoned shop, about ten shrapnel pock-marks next to the stairs, asbestos panels and wooden planks underneath the roof on the west-facing part of the shop, and a crater 1m south of the stairs of the shop, assessed as caused by a 122mm artillery round fired from a westerly direction.
About 200m south-west, around a functional gas station, the SMM saw four craters on soft soil and one on hard surface, all assessed as fresh and caused by 122mm artillery rounds fired from a westerly direction. About 50m north-east of the gas station, the SMM saw a fresh crater on an asphalt driveway, assessed as caused by a 122mm artillery round fired from a westerly direction.
In an uninhabited area of the eastern part of Khreshchatytske, about 500m south-east of the gas station, the SMM saw a fresh crater on soft soil and 4m south, another fresh crater, both assessed as caused by a 122mm artillery round fired from a westerly direction. About 350m east of the gas station, on the main square of Khreshchatytske, the SMM saw a fresh crater on soft soil. About 1m east of the crater, the SMM saw a snapped tree with broken branches, about 25m north-west of a school at 1 Komsomolska Street assessed as caused by a 122mm artillery round fired from a westerly direction. About 50m east of the main square, the SMM saw a fresh crater assessed as caused by a 122mm artillery round fired from a westerly direction. Approximately 125m east of the main square, the SMM saw a snapped tree with broken branches and chipped bark nearby.
About 9m east of the former village council building on Komsomolska Street, the SMM saw a fresh crater. About 120m south-south-west of the building, the SMM saw another fresh crater, as well as about 95m west-south-west, the SMM saw a fresh crater on hard surface, all assessed as caused by 122mm artillery rounds fired from a westerly direction.
Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area
On 9 July, inside the disengagement area, about 180m east of its western edge and about 250m south-west of the entry-exit checkpoint (EECP) north of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (15km north of Luhansk), an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted four men in a blue uniform, assessed as belonging to the State Emergency Services (SES) and carrying out demining activities. At around 200m south of the said checkpoint, the SMM saw two men in military-style clothing cutting branches and trees with axes and chainsaw in the area around 50m east of the main road.
In the late evening hours of 9 July, inside the disengagement area, an SMM long-range UAV spotted four persons walking along a footpath and entering a bunker at the former most forward position of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the railway bridge (about 500m east-north east from of the wooden ramp at the broken part of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge) as well as one person and two cars about 100m north-north-west of the checkpoint of the armed formations just south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. The UAV did not spot any weapons or hardware inside the disengagement area.
On 10 July, inside the disengagement area, the SMM saw three Ukrainian Armed Forces officers of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC)[2] walking south towards the broken ramp of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge talking to pedestrians. On the same day, outside the disengagement area, the SMM saw three Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers installing shading net along a fence running at the eastern side of the pedestrian road, 25m east of the checkpoint. At the EECP north of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, outside the disengagement area, the SMM saw a crane, a military truck, a truck and a welding machine and three Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers building a concrete reinforcement structure.
Other disengagement areas[3]
On 10 July, positioned at the north-eastern edge of Katerynivka (government-controlled, 64km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard five shots of small-arm fire and one undetermined explosion assessed as outside the Zolote disengagement area (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) but within its 5km periphery.
During the day on 10 July, positioned close to the disengagement area near Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), the SMM observed a calm situation.[4]
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 the withdrawal lines
Non-government-controlled areas
8 July
Aerial imagery available to the SMM revealed the presence of three multiple launch rocket systems near Boikivske (formerly Telmanove, 67km south-east of Donetsk), in a zone within which deployment of heavy armaments and military equipment is further proscribed according to Point 5 of the Memorandum of 19 September 2014 (for previous observations, see SMM Daily Report of 20 April 2019).
Beyond the withdrawal lines but outside of designated storage sites
Government-controlled area
9 July
An SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted five tanks (types undetermined) near Chasiv Yar (62km north of Donetsk).
10 July
The SMM saw:
- 15 tanks (six T-64 and nine T-72), 15 self-propelled howitzers (types undetermined) at the railway station in Pokrovsk (formerly Krasnoarmiisk, 55km north-west of Donetsk);
- 37 tanks (T-64) in and near Kostiantynivka (60km north of Donetsk)
Non-government-controlled areas
5 July
Aerial imagery available to the SMM revealed the presence of 36 tanks (types undetermined) in a training area near Ternove (57km east of Donetsk) (for previous observations, see SMM Daily Report of 25 June 2019).
Indications of military and military-type presence in the security zone[5]
Government-controlled areas
9 July
The SMM saw an (IFV) (BMP variant) parked beside a residential house in Popasna (69km west of Luhansk)
10 July
An SMM long-range UAV spotted three armoured personnel carriers (MT-LB) and one armoured combat vehicle (ACV) near Novozvanivka (70km west of Luhansk).
Non-government-controlled area
10 July
An SMM long-range UAV spotted two ACVs near Kalynove (60km west of Luhansk).
8 July
Aerial imagery available to the SMM revealed the presence of three ACVs near Boikivske, in a zone within which deployment of heavy armaments and military equipment is proscribed according to Point 5 of the Memorandum of 19 September 2014 (see above).
Anti-tank mines near Shchastia and Vesela Hora
On 10 July, about 2km north-east of Vesela Hora (non-government-controlled, 16km north of Luhansk), an SMM mini-UAV again spotted 40 anti-tank mines (TM-62), assessed as belonging to the armed formations, laid across the western lane of dual-lane road H-21 leading to the bridge in Shchastia (government-controlled, 20km north of Luhansk). The same UAV also spotted across the same road approximately 1km north-west of the aforementioned mines and about 150m south-east of the bridge in Shchastia, 36 anti-tank mines (TM-62), assessed as belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Non-SMM UAV seen near Zolote disengagement area and in Novoluhanske
In the morning hours of 10 July, the SMM saw a UAV flying over Katerynivka (government-controlled, 64km west of Luhansk) and landing 100m west of its position, outside the disengagement area. During the same day, the SMM observed an UAV near its position in Novoluhanske (government-controlled, 53km north-east of Donetsk).
SMM facilitation of repairs and the operations of civilian infrastructure
The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable examination and repair of a water pipeline between Zolote-3/Stakhanovets (government-controlled, 61km west of Luhansk) and Popasna, repairs to greenhouses in Novokyivka (non-government-controlled, 25km east of Luhansk), repairs to electrical wires in Betmanove (non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Donetsk) and to a water tower near Holmivskyi (non-government-controlled, 49km north-east of Donetsk).
The SMM facilitated the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station 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 also monitored adherence to the ceasefire in order to enable reportedly a transfer of funds from non-government- to government-controlled areas of Luhansk region, related to water payments.
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 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 29 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 in Verkhnoshyrokivske (formerly Oktiabr, non-government-controlled, 29km north-east of Mariupol), an armed member of the armed formations denied the SMM passage, citing “kinetic activity in the area”.
Regular restrictions related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:
- The sides continued to deny the SMM full access to 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:
- An SMM long range-UAV lost its GPS signal due to signal interference, assessed as caused by jamming, on three occasions while flying over areas near Kostiantynivka (government-controlled, 60km north of Donetsk), Metalist (non-government-controlled, 7km north-west of Luhansk) and Myronivskyi (government-controlled, 62km north-east of Donetsk).[6]
- SMM mini-UAVs experienced GPS signal interference, assessed as probably caused by jamming, on two occasions while flying over Novoselivka Druha (government-controlled, 23km north of Donetsk) and on three occasions while flying over Sartana (government-controlled, 15km north-east of Mariupol).
[1] For a complete breakdown of ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table. The SMM cameras in Svitlodarsk and Shyrokyne were non-operational during the reporting period.
* 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] The Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) was established in September 2014 by Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Each posted a representative to jointly head the Centre and a staff of officers from the Ukrainian and Russian Federation Armed Forces to be co-located in defined sectors of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. In December 2017, Russian Federation Armed Forces officers withdrew from the JCCC and departed Ukraine.
[3]Disengagement is foreseen in the Framework Decision of the Trilateral Contact Group relating to disengagement of forces and hardware of 21 September 2016.
[4] 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.
[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 the radius of kilometres from the UAVs’ position.