Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 21 July 2019

This report is for the media and the general public. 

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 19 and 20 July, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and in Luhansk regions.
• Between the evenings of 20 and 21 July, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours.
• Following the beginning of a recommitment to the ceasefire at 00:01 on 21 July, in connection with the agreement reached at the meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk on 17 July, the SMM recorded 79 ceasefire violations, including six explosions.
• A man died in a garden in Krasnohorivka due to gunfire. A woman died and several people, including a child, suffered shrapnel injuries in Pervomaisk.
• The Mission observed fresh gunfire damage to a garden in Krasnohorivka, to residential houses in Chermalyk, and fresh damage due to shelling to houses in Pervomaisk.
• Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM continued to monitor the operation of a shuttle bus service in government-controlled areas, north of the bridge.
• The Mission observed ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area and an infantry fighting vehicle inside the Petrivske disengagement area.
• The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in government- and non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The SMM observed mines near Yasne and Slavne, some for the first time, as well as unexploded ordnance near Khrestivka.
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station and to monitor the security situation near the pumping station near Vasylivka.
• Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at checkpoints near non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske, Zaichenko and Petrivske.*
• In Kyiv, the SMM observed a commemoration event for a journalist killed three years ago.
• The SMM observed a calm security situation in several regions of Ukraine during the Parliamentary Elections.

Ceasefire violations[1]

In Donetsk region, between the evenings of 19 and 20 July, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions (about 190), compared with the previous reporting period (about 70 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded at southerly directions of Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol), southerly directions of Chermalyk (government-controlled, 31km north-east of Mariupol) and at easterly and southerly directions of Hnutove (government-controlled, 20km north-east of Mariupol).

Between the evenings of 20 and 21 July, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including fewer explosions (about 35), compared with the previous 24 hours. The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded in areas south-south-east and south of Pyshchevyk and south-east and south-south-east of Chermalyk.

In Luhansk region, between the evenings of 19 and 20 July, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including, however, fewer explosions (four), compared with the previous reporting period (about 15 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded in areas east, south and south-west of Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) and in areas east-south-east of Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk).

Between the evenings of 20 and 21 July, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions (about 155), compared with the previous 24 hours. The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded at easterly and southerly directions of Popasna and at easterly, southerly and south-south-westerly directions of Zolote.

Following the beginning of the recommitment to the ceasefire at 00:01 on 21 July, the SMM recorded in total 79 ceasefire violations (six explosions, 22 projectiles in flight and 51 shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire).

Man died in garden in Krasnohorivka due to gunfire, SMM observed a fresh crater

On 20 July, in Krasnohorivka (government-controlled, 21km west of Donetsk), the SMM followed up on reports about a man (in his sixties) who had died as a result of gunfire. At 36 Chaikovskoho Street, the Mission saw what it assessed as fresh traces of blood near a crater in a garden about 100m south-west of a five-storey apartment building (see also below). The SMM assessed the crater to have been caused by fire from an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1) or a self-propelled gun (type undetermined), but could not assess the direction of fire. The apartment building is located about 1km west of positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and about 2km west of positions of the armed formations.

At the same address, two residents (a man and a woman in their sixties) separately told the SMM that on the morning of 19 July, they had heard small-arms fire nearby, followed by a loud explosion in their neighbour’s garden. They said they had then seen the man, who had been working in the garden, lying on the ground with severe injuries to his left upper body, as well as severe burns to the rest of his body. They told the SMM that after 40 minutes an ambulance from Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk) arrived and took the man to a hospital in Kurakhove (government-controlled, 40km west of Donetsk).

At the hospital in Kurakhove, medical staff told the SMM that the man had been admitted to the hospital on 19 July, and that he had died immediately after being admitted from fatal injuries.

Woman died and several people, including a child, are injured by shelling in Pervomaisk

On 21 July, in Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, non-government-controlled, 50km west of Luhansk), the SMM followed up on reports about several civilians injured or killed on 20 July in Pervomaisk (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk). At the morgue in Kadiivka, medical staff told the SMM that the body of a woman (in her fifties) with shrapnel wounds had been brought there on the evening of 20 July. In Pervomaisk, outside a nine-story residential building at 40 Rokiv Peremohy Street 11, a man (in his forties) told the Mission that he had seen how the woman, his neighbour, had died from shrapnel wounds during shelling on the evening of 20 July. The SMM observed minor cuts on the right hand of the man, which he said he had sustained during the shelling. At the same address, a woman (in her sixties) told the Mission that she had just returned from the hospital in Kadiivka, where she had received treatment for  injuries sustained when outside the building on the evening of 20 July.

In the hospital in Kadiivka, the Mission saw a man (in his forties) with a large bandage around his chest and a smaller bandage on his left arm. He told the SMM that he had been walking on Timoshenko Street in Pervomaisk in the evening of 20 July, when his chest and arm were hit by shrapnel. In the hospital the SMM also saw a woman (in her forties) with bandages and scratches to her right thigh, arm, neck and cheek. She told the SMM that she, together with six other people, had been outside 40 Rokiv Peremohy Street 11 in Pervomaisk in the evening of 20 July, when she had heard a loud explosion and felt pain in her right leg, neck and cheek. In the hospital, the Mission saw a man (in his thirties) who had bandages on his left thigh, abdomen and forearm, and who told the Mission that he had been outside the aforementioned address on 20 July when he heard an explosion.

At the children’s hospital in Luhansk city, the SMM saw a woman (in her thirties) and her daughter (three years old); the woman had a bandage on her left arm. She told the SMM that she still had some pieces of shrapnel in her arm, including in the bone, and that her daughter had suffered a shrapnel wound to her head and right eye. The woman told the Mission that she and her daughter had been outside their apartment building at the aforementioned address in the evening of 20 July when she had heard a projectile impact a building next to them.

Also on 21 July, at 40 Rokiv Peremohy Street 11 in the north-eastern part of Pervomaisk, on a north-north-east-facing wall of a nine-story residential building, the SMM saw more than 70 holes up to 10cm in diameter, 14 shattered windows, and broken glass on the ground, assessed as fresh and caused by shrapnel, as well as a pool of blood. The SMM also saw more than 30 impacts in a garden 10m-25m north of the building, all assessed as fresh and caused by an airburst from an undetermined weapon.

About 1km south-east of the building, at a one-storey residential house at 14/1 Timoshenko Street, the SMM saw two craters in a garden – one about 10m east of the house and one about 20m south-west of the house – assessed as fresh and caused by rounds of an undetermined weapon. The SMM also saw five shattered windows on the east-south-east-facing wall of the house, two shattered sections of a wooden fence about 5m east of the house, and at least 50 holes in the fence, all assessed as fresh and caused by shrapnel.

On the same day, at a compound of the armed formations about 450m south-east of 14/1 Timoshenko Street, an SMM mini-UAV spotted a hole in the roof of a building assessed as caused by an artillery round fired from an undetermined direction, as well as scorch marks on the concrete surface of a parking area about 5m-50m east, west, and north of the building and a completely burnt mini-van and crane in the parking area (not seen in imagery from 19 July 2019).

Fresh gunfire damage to three residential houses in Chermalyk

On 20 July, in Chermalyk, accompanied by a Ukrainian Armed Forces representative to the JCCC, the SMM followed up on reports of shooting.[2] At 16 Nikitina Street, the SMM saw six holes in the north-westerly and north-easterly facing walls of a one-storey residential house, three holes in the electricity metre below the roof on the house’s north-facing wall, as well as multiple holes on the metal fence surrounding the yard on the north-eastern side of the house. Also, the Mission observed a fresh crater about 10m north-west of the house on the northern side of a road, with a tailfin and shrapnel pieces inside the crater, assessed as being parts of a grenade from a recoilless-gun (SPG-9, 73mm). The owner of the house (a woman in her forties) told the SMM that she had been at home in the evening hours of 19 July, and that electricity had been cut off as a result of shelling.

In a field about 20m north-west of the aforementioned house, the SMM saw a fresh crater with a tailfin and shrapnel pieces inside the crater.

About 100m north-west of the aforementioned house, at 3a Nikitina Street, the SMM observed eight holes in the north-western and eastern walls of a one-storey residential house, as well as four holes in the steel roofing plates above the aforementioned walls. On the ground in front of the walls, the SMM saw multiple shrapnel pieces. The owner of the house (a woman in her forties), told the Mission that she had been at home when the shooting had occurred in the evening hours of 19 July.

At 7 Nikitina Street, about 150m north-east of the house at 3a Nikitina Street, the SMM saw four holes in the south-west facing wall of a one-storey residential house, a hole in a window of the same wall, and five pieces of shrapnel lying on the asbestos-plated roof of a barn 5m north-east of the aforementioned house. Also, the Mission observed a fresh crater in a field about 15m north-west of the aforementioned house, with a tailfin and parts of a tube inside the crater. The owner of the house (a woman in her sixties) told the SMM that she had been at home when she had heard shooting in the evening hours of the 19 July.

The Mission assessed the above mentioned crater and damage to be fresh and caused by a grenade from a recoilless-gun (SPG-9, 73mm) fired from an east-north-easterly direction.

Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area

On 19 July an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted five persons working with concertina wire inside the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk), about 100m south of its northern edge and 50m east of road T-1316.

During the day on 20 July, positioned inside the disengagement area, about 250m south-east of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the SMM heard an explosion at an assessed range of 1-2km north-west, assessed as outside the disengagement area but within its 5km periphery.

On the same day, the SMM observed five members of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in a field next to the broken section of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, inside the disengagement area. Also north of the bridge, it saw three de-miners walking along a barbed wire, in order to rescue a dog trapped in the wire.

On the same day, it saw six members of the armed formations wearing armbands with ”JCCC” written on them, two south of the broken section of Stanytsia Luhanska bridge and four near the parking lot south of the aforementioned bridge. It also observed a senior member of the armed formations, accompanied by six men in civilian clothes, arrive at the parking lot. Two of the six men were carrying TV cameras and appeared to film an SMM camera located inside the disengagement area.

On 20 July, at the entry-exit checkpoint (EECP) near Stanytsia Luhanska, the SMM observed about 300 people queuing to enter and around 500 people queuing to exit government-controlled areas. On 20 and 21 July, it observed that a shuttle bus was departing about every 20 minutes from a location near the EECP operated by officers of the Ukrainian Border Guard service, about 200m south of the disengagement area’s northern edge, travelling towards the broken section of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. Two women with disabilities (in theirs sixties) in wheelchairs separately told the SMM that they did not use the bus because it was inconvenient to access it. The bus driver (a man in his fifties) told the SMM that the bus had a lifting platform for wheelchairs. Four travellers (two women in their fifties and two men in their sixties) told the SMM that the introduction of the shuttle bus service was very positive.

On the same day, at the checkpoint of the armed formations south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the SMM observed about 30 people queuing to access booths where their documents were being checked. It also observed four men dismantling a shelter near the aforementioned checkpoint. A women (in her sixties) standing near the checkpoint told the SMM that people suffered from the heat due to the lack of shade, as the shelter was being dismantled.

On 21 July, the SMM observed a triangular-shaped area (3m-4m) sealed off with a red and white tape about 100m east of the “Woman with Bread” monument near the entry-exit checkpoint near Stanytsia Luhanska. A Ukrainian Armed Forces representative to the JCCC told the Mission that the area had been sealed off because of demining activities. On the same day, the Mission observed six members of the armed formations wearing armbands with ”JCCC” written on them at different locations south of the broken section of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge.

Other disengagement areas[3]

In the evening hours of 19 July, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded an illumination flare in vertical flight at an assessed range of 2-3km south-east, assessed as inside the disengagement area, 16 projectiles in vertical flight of anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) at an assessed range of 3-5km south (which were unable to be assessed as inside or outside the disengagement area) and two projectiles in flight at an assessed range of 3-5km east-south-east, assessed as outside the disengagement area but within its 5km periphery. During the day on 20 July, positioned on the western edge of Pervomaisk, the SMM heard six bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire at an assessed range of 4-5km north-north-east, assessed as inside the disengagement area. On the same day, the SMM camera in Zolote also recorded about 110 projectiles in flight assessed as outside the disengagement area but within its 5km periphery.  

During the evening of 20 July, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded five projectiles in vertical flight at an assessed range of 2-4km south-east, assessed as inside the Zolote disengagement area. On the same evening, the camera recorded 92 projectiles in vertical flight at an assessed range of 2-4km south and south-south-east (which were unable to be assessed as inside or outside the disengagement area), as well as one undetermined explosion and ten projectiles in flight outside the disengagement area but within its 5km periphery.  During the same evening, positioned in two locations near the Zolote disengagement area, the SMM heard 69 undetermined explosions, ten outgoing explosions and about 120 bursts and shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, assessed as outside the disengagement area but within its 5km periphery.

In the early hours of 21 July, after the start of the recommitment to the ceasefire, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded 21 projectiles in flight (12 of which were unable to be assessed as inside or outside the disengagement area, and nine assessed as outside the disengagement area). At the same time the SMM, while on the northern edge of Popasna, heard two undetermined explosions and 51 shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, assessed as outside the disengagement area but within its 5km periphery.

On 19 July an SMM long-range UAV spotted an infantry fighting vehicle (BMP variant) inside the disengagement area near Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), about 1.2km east of its western edge and about 800m north of its southern edge, assessed as belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. On 21 July, positioned close to the disengagement area near Petrivske, the SMM observed a calm situation.[4]

Withdrawal of weapons[5]

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[6]

Government-controlled areas

19 July

An SMM mini-UAV spotted two surface-to-air missile systems (9K35 Strela-10) near Pyshchevyk (for previous observations in the area, see SMM Daily Report 8 June 2019).

20 July

An SMM mini-UAV spotted a surface-to-air missile system (9K35) near Lebedynske (16km north-east of Mariupol).

Non-government-controlled areas

19 July

An SMM mini-UAV spotted:

• 15 self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm), 12 towed howitzers (D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm) and six anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) in a training area near Buhaivka (37km south-west of Luhansk). In the same training area, the same UAV spotted 48 IFVs (for previous observations in the area, see SMM Daily Report 6 July 2019); [7] and
• two self-propelled howitzers (2S1) and four towed howitzers (D-30) near Bile (22km west of Luhansk).

An SMM long-range UAV spotted three self-propelled howitzers (2S1) near Starolaspa (51km south of Donetsk) (for previous observations in the area, see SMM Daily Report 21 June 2019).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside of designated storage sites

Government-controlled areas

20 July

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

Non-government-controlled areas

19 July

An SMM mini-UAV spotted 20 tanks (18 T-64 and two T-72) and four surface-to-air missile systems (9K35) in a training area near Buhaivka (see above).

Indications of military and military-type presence in the security zone[8]

Government-controlled areas

19 July

An SMM mini-UAV spotted:

•  a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (ZSU-23-4 Shilka, 23mm) and a probable IFV (BMP variant) in Pyshchevyk; an
• an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (BTR-80) near Ulianivske (26km north-east of Mariupol).

An SMM mid-range (UAV) spotted an IFV (BMP variant) near Berezove (31km south-west of Donetsk).

An SMM long-range UAV spotted:

• an armoured combat vehicle (ACV) (probable BMP) near Bohdanivka (41km south-west of Donetsk);
• an ACV near Petrivske (24km north of Donetsk);
• 14 APCs (13 BTR-70 and one undetermined) in Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk);
• an ACV near Nevelske (18km north-west of Donetsk); and
• an ACV near Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk).

The SMM saw an IFV (BMP-1) and an armoured recovery vehicle (BTS-4) with a mounted anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) near Popasna.

20 July

An SMM mini-UAV spotted a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (ZSU-23-4 Shilka, 23mm) near Lebedynske.

The SMM saw:

• an IFV (BTR-4) and an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (BTR-60) near Novobakhmutivka (28km north of Donetsk); and
• an APC (BTR-70) inside a concrete shelter outside the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska.

21 July

The SMM saw:

• three APCs (BTR-70) near Mykolaivka (40km south of Donetsk);
• an APC (BTR-70) inside a concrete shelter outside the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska.

Non-government-controlled areas

21 July

The SMM saw an IFV (BMP-2) near Zaichenko (26km north-east of Mariupol).

Fresh craters east of Popasna

On 19 July, the SMM observed five fresh craters in a field about 1km east of a checkpoint of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the eastern outskirts of Popasna, as well as parts of exploded projectiles. It assessed the craters to have been caused by 120mm projectiles of a self-propelled mortar (2S9 Nona-S, 120mm), but could not determine the direction of fire.

Mines near Yasne and Slavne, some seen for the first time, and unexploded ordnance (UXO) near Khrestivka

On 19 July, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted for the first time four anti-tank mines (probable TM-62) on road T-0509 about 1km north of Yasne (non-government-controlled, 30km south-west of Donetsk), assessed as belonging to the armed formations. The same UAV also spotted for the first time at least ten anti-tank mines (probable TM-62) laid in two rows across a road and extending north into a field, about 3.5km east of Slavne (government-controlled, 26km south-west of Donetsk), and four anti-tank mines (probable TM-62) laid across the same road about 250m west of the aforementioned mines, assessed as belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It also spotted for the first time freshly dug up holes, assessed as traces of recent demining, in two fields about 500m east and north-east of Slavne.

On 21 July, the Mission saw for the first time a piece of UXO, assessed as a possible remnant of a 122mm artillery shell, embedded in road T-0517 about 2km north of Khrestivka (formerly Kirovske, non-government-controlled, 45km east of Donetsk).

On the same day, the SMM observed about eight de-miners of the State Emergency Service in protective clothing and with metal detectors in a field marked with sticks and tape immediately north of the entry-exit checkpoint near Maiorsk (government-controlled, 45km north-east of Donetsk).

Entry-exit checkpoint (EECP) near Maiorsk temporarily closed

During the day on 21 July, at the EECP near Maiorsk, a Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier told the SMM that the EECP was closed due to the presence of UXO. After about 40 minutes, the SMM was allowed to cross toward non-government-controlled areas, although it saw civilian vehicles and pedestrians waiting. While crossing the EECP, the SMM saw eight SES de-miners in a field north of the EECP (see above). On the evening of 21 July, the SMM camera near Maiorsk recorded that the EECP remained open until 21:30; about 90 minutes beyond the scheduled hours of operation.  

SMM facilitation of the operations of civilian infrastructure

The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk). It continued 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

On 20 July, while at a pedestrian border crossing point near Ulianivske (61km south-east of Donetsk) for about 30 minutes, the SMM saw two men exiting Ukraine on bicycles.

On the same day, while at a pedestrian crossing point near Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk), for about 20 minutes, the SMM saw five pedestrians entering Ukraine and one pedestrian exiting Ukraine. Also on the same day, while at a border crossing point near Uspenka for about one hour, the SMM saw 26 cars (eight with Ukrainian and eight with Russian Federation licence plates, as well as ten with “DPR” plates), four covered cargo trucks (two with Ukrainian licence plates and two with “DPR” plates) and 19 pedestrians entering Ukraine. The Mission also saw 17 cars (five with Ukrainian and seven with Russian Federation licence plates, as well as five with “DPR” plates), seven covered cargo trucks (six with Ukrainian licence plates and one with “DPR” plates) and two buses (with “DPR” plates, filled with passengers) exiting Ukraine.

Commemoration event for journalist killed three years ago in Kyiv

In Kyiv, the SMM observed about 100 people, including many journalists, at a commemoration event for journalist Pavel Sheremet, who was killed three years ago when the car he travelled in was blown up in the centre of Kyiv. Some of the participants held up posters with “Who killed Pavel?” written on them and demanded a renewed effort by law enforcement agencies to find the perpetrators.

SMM observed calm security situation in several regions of Ukraine during Parliamentary Elections

On 21 July, on the occasion of the Parliamentary Elections in Ukraine, the SMM observed a calm situation in Kyiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Radensk, Velyki Kopani, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Odessa, Dnipro and Kharkiv, as well as government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

*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:

• On 20 and 21 July, at a checkpoint about 600m west of Verkhnoshyrokivske (formerly Oktiabr, non-government-controlled, 29km north-east of Mariupol), armed members of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage, citing “engineering activity” in the area on the latter occasion.
• On 21 July, at a checkpoint north of Zaichenko (non-government-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol), two armed members of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage west towards Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol) and south towards Sakhanka (non-government controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol) on two occasions, citing an “ongoing anti-terrorist operation”.

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:

• During the evening and night of the 19-20 July, an SMM long range-UAV lost its GPS signal, assessed as due to probable jamming, while flying over Kostiantynivka (government-controlled, 60km north of Donetsk) and between Lastochkyne (government-controlled, (19km north-west of Donetsk) and Stepanivka (government-controlled, 54km north of Donetsk), as well as due to jamming while flying between Kalynove (government-controlled, 35km north of Donetsk) and Viktorivka (non-government-controlled, 42km south-west of Donetsk).[9]
• On 21 July, an SMM mini-UAV experienced signal interference assessed as due to probable jamming while flying over areas near Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk).

[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] 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] In the SMM Daily Report of 20 July 2019, weapons were misreported as missing at a permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region. At the visited site, all previously observed weapons were present.  

[6] In the SMM Daily Report of 18 July “12 self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm)” were misreported as in violation of withdrawal lines, while they should have been reported as present at a heavy weapons holding area in a government-controlled area of Luhansk region.

[7] The armoured combat vehicles mentioned in this section are not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons

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

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