Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 17 July 2019
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 followed up on reports of a man injured by a mine explosion in Pryvitne.
- It saw damage to a residential house in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka.
- Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM continued to observe demining activities by the State Emergency Services of Ukraine and the operation of a shuttle bus service.
- The Mission saw weapons in violations of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line in Luhansk region.
- The Mission saw long queues at checkpoints of the armed formations along the contact line.
- The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs of critical civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line.
- Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at checkpoints in non-government-controlled areas of southern Donetsk region near Zaichenko and Novolaspa.*
Ceasefire violations[1]
In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including fewer explosions (40), compared with the previous reporting period (about 110 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded at southerly and south-south-easterly directions of Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol) and in areas south-south-east of Chermalyk (government-controlled, 31km north-east of Mariupol).
In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including fewer explosions (about 30), compared with the previous reporting period (about 250 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded at east-south-easterly directions of Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk), at easterly and east-north-easterly directions of Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) and at easterly directions of Almazna (non-government-controlled, 55km west of Luhansk), the latter assessed as live-fire training exercises inside the security zone.
A man was injured by a mine explosion in Pryvitne
On 15 July, at the Luhansk Regional Hospital in Luhansk city (non-government-controlled), the SMM saw a man (69 years old) with his left foot missing and his right leg covered in bandages. He told the Mission that he had been fishing on the bank of the Siverskyi Donets River near Pryvitne (non-government-controlled, 11km north of Luhansk) on 11 July when he stepped on a mine laid on a path beside the river and it exploded. The man added that he crawled to a different location where he had mobile phone coverage and called a relative for help. Medical staff at the hospital told the SMM that the man had been admitted with injuries from a mine explosion on 11 July.
Fresh damage to a residential house in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka
On 17 July, at a one-storey house at 1/7 Dundycha Street in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk), the SMM accompanied by a member of the armed formations, saw a hole (32cm x 96cm) in the outer west-facing wooden fence and small fragments assessed as from a grenade lying on the ground and adjacent to the fence. The SMM assessed the damage as fresh but could not assess the type of weapon used or direction of fire (for previous observations in the area, see SMM Daily Report 29 June 2019).
Fresh craters near Molodizhne
On road T-0504 about 1.5km south-west of Molodizhne (non-government-controlled, 63km north-west of Luhansk) and about 100m from a checkpoint of the armed formations, the SMM saw eight fresh craters in a field within an 80m radius of the T-junction leading north to Molodizhne: five assessed as caused by (82mm) mortar rounds, two as caused by (122mm) artillery rounds and one as caused by a round of a rocket-propelled grenade launcher (RPG-7), all fired from a westerly direction (for previous observations in the area, see SMM Daily Report 13 July 2019)[2].
On 16 July, at the abovementioned T-junction, the SMM saw that a piece of unexploded ordnance (UXO) (120mm mortar tailfin) observed on 15 July was no longer present and that the previously reported crater had been filled with soil (see SMM Daily Report 17 July 2019).
Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area
On 17 July, inside the disengagement area, the SMM saw two members of the State Emergency Services (SES) of Ukraine conducting demining activities in a field about 150m east of the road and about 200m south-east of the Ukrainian Armed Forces entry-exit checkpoint (EECP). The SMM again saw a bus transporting people from an area about 250m south of the Ukrainian Armed Forces EECP to the broken section of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge and back. The SMM saw that the bus was equipped with a manual wheelchair ramp to transport persons with disabilities.
The SMM saw up to seven members of the armed formations wearing armbands with “JCCC” written on them: three south of the wooden ramps of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge and four near the checkpoint of the armed formations south of the bridge[3].
Other disengagement areas[4]
On 17 July, while in Zolote, the SMM heard an undetermined explosion at an assessed range of 4-6km south-south-west, assessed as inside the Zolote disengagement area.
On the evening of 16 July, while in Popasna, the SMM heard about 40 shots and bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire and an undetermined explosion, all at an assessed range of 5-7km east-south-east, all assessed as outside of the disengagement area but within its 5km periphery. On the evening and night of 16-17 July, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded 30 projectiles in flight at an assessed range of 3-5km east and east-north-east, all assessed as outside of the Zolote disengagement area but within its 5km periphery. On 17 July, while in Kalynove-Borshchuvate (non-government-controlled, 61km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard about 20 shots and bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire at an assessed range of 2-3km west, all assessed as outside of the disengagement area but within its 5km periphery.
On 17 July, positioned close to the disengagement area near Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), the SMM observed a calm situation.[5]
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
17 July
The SMM saw:
- 12 self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) near Popasna and
- six self-propelled howitzers (2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm) and six anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) near Novookhtyrka (55km north-west of Luhansk).
Non-government-controlled areas
17 July
The SMM saw 22 multiple launch rocket systems (BM-21 Grad, 122mm) near Khrustalnyi (formerly Krasnyi Luch, 56km south-west of Luhansk).
Beyond withdrawal lines but outside of designated storage sites
Non-government-controlled areas
14 July
Aerial imagery available to the SMM revealed the presence of 11 tanks (type undetermined) in a training area near Shymshynivka (27km south-west of Luhansk) (for previous observations, see SMM Daily Report 8 July 2019).
17 July
The SMM saw seven tanks (T-64) in a training area near Ternove (57km east of Donetsk).
Weapons that the SMM could not verify as withdrawn[6]
At heavy weapons holding areas in a government-controlled area of Luhansk region.
17 July
The SMM saw that 15 towed howitzers (D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm), 44 self-propelled howitzers (23 2S3 and 21 2S1) and nine tanks (T-72) continued to be missing.
Weapons permanent storage sites
At a permanent storage site in a government-controlled area of Luhansk region.
17 July
The SMM noted that 51 tanks (24 T-72 and 27 T-64), one towed howitzer (D-44, 85mm), two anti-tank guns (D-48, 85mm) and 50 mortars (12 M120-15 Molot, 120mm, 13 2B9 Vasilek, 82mm, nine KBA-48M, 82mm, seven 2B11 Sani, 120mm, six BM-37, 82mm and three 2B14 Podnos, 82mm) remained missing.
At a heavy weapons permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region.
17 July
The SMM noted that all weapons previously observed at the site were present.
Indications of military presence in the security zone[7]
Government-controlled areas
16 July
An SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted two infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) (BMP-1) near Vodiane (19km north-east of Mariupol).
An SMM mid-range UAV spotted an IFV (BTR-4) in Pionerske (14km east of Mariupol).
The SMM saw an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (BTR-70) at the Stanytsia Luhanska EECP.
17 July
The SMM saw:
- an IFV (BMP-2) in Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) and
- an IFV (BTR-4) near Novobakhmutivka (28km north of Donetsk).
In the morning of 17 July, while in Popasna, the SMM saw a mini-UAV flying 5-30m over the SMM forward patrol base and at a 20-25m distance from its outer gate. Two hours later, positioned in the southern outskirts of Popasna, the SMM again saw a mini-UAV flying 300-500m over the SMM’s position (for previous observations see SMM Daily Report 9 July 2019).
Long queues at checkpoints in Donetsk region
At the checkpoint of the armed formations near Olenivka (non-government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM saw about 30 cars queuing to travel towards non-government-controlled areas, as well as about 200 cars queuing to travel towards government-controlled areas.
At a checkpoint of the armed formations on highway H-15 in Kreminets (non-government-controlled, 16km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM saw about 50 cars and five buses queuing to travel towards non-government-controlled areas, as well as about 220 cars and nine buses queuing to travel towards government-controlled areas.
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 water pipelines in Raivka (non-government-controlled, 16km north-west of Luhansk), near Zolote-3/Stakhanovets (government-controlled, 61km west of Luhansk), to power lines near Spartak (non-government-controlled, 9km north of Donetsk) as well as demining and repairs to water pipelines near Maiorsk (government-controlled, 45km north-east of Donetsk) and between Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk) and Holmivskyi (non-government-controlled, 49km north-east of Donetsk). The SMM also continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) and 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, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, 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 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 15 July 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 about 600m north of Zaichenko (non-government-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol), an armed member of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage southwards to Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol) and westwards to Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol), citing “orders from his superior”.
- At a checkpoint on the eastern edge of Novolaspa (non-government-controlled, 50km south of Donetsk), two armed members of the armed formations denied the SMM passage west into the village, citing “SMM’s safety”.
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.
Delay:
- At a checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske (formerly Oktiabr, non-government-controlled, 29km north-east of Mariupol), two armed members of the armed formations allowed the SMM to proceed again after about 20 minutes of waiting.
Other impediments:
- On three occasions, an SMM mini-UAV experienced signal interference assessed as probably caused by jamming while flying over areas near Hnutove (government-controlled, 20km north-east of Mariupol)[8].
[1] For a complete breakdown of ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table. The SMM cameras in Avdiivka and Donetsk Filtration Station 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] In the SMM Daily Report of 17 July 2019, it was written, “On 16 July, at a residential house at 7 Pervomaiska Street in the central part of Khreshchatytske (formerly Krasnoarmiiske, non-government-controlled, 33km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM saw two craters (about 1.5m in diameter)… assessed as fresh and caused by artillery rounds…” The correct size was 15cm and they were assessed as caused by unexploded artillery rounds.
[3] 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.
[4]Disengagement is foreseen in the Framework Decision of the Trilateral Contact Group relating to disengagement of forces and hardware of 21 September 2016.
[5] 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.
[6] 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.
[7] The hardware mentioned in this section is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.
[8] The interference could have originated from anywhere within a radius of kilometres from the UAVs’ positions.