Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 18:00 (Kyiv time) 26 December
This report is for media and the general public.
SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The SMM monitored the simultaneous release of hostages/prisoners in Yasynuvata (18km North-East of Donetsk city).
On 24 December, the SMM monitored a Euro-Maidan protest of about 200 activists of mixed gender and age in front of Kharkiv’s city council building, cordoned by some 200 police officers. The protestors called for the mayor’s resignation, lustration of city council officials, transparency in municipal decision-making and budgeting, as well as the protestors’ own attendance at an ongoing council session. From 10:00hrs onwards the protestors blocked Constitution Square. Council deputies were asked to leave through the backdoor at the end of the session, at which point protestors threw eggs at one deputy and sprayed him with a green antiseptic spray. He took refuge in a pharmacy, which was initially secured by police. The police later allowed entry to Right Sector activists, who dragged him out and deposited him in a trash bin, claiming he had been “lustrated”. The protestors dispersed at 14:00hrs.
On 25 December the SMM visited the site of an explosion, which had occurred the previous night in a furniture shop in Kharkiv city centre. The SMM observed damage to the building, including two shattered windows and a 4 meter-wide hole in one wall. Two nearby buildings had suffered twelve shattered windows and a car was also damaged. The police informed the SMM that the shop belonged to a pro-unity activist supplying Government forces with equipment. The owner said that the incident was most likely linked to his involvement as a volunteer. The police informed the SMM that they had launched an investigation on charges of intentional destruction of property.
On 24 December the SMM met the “mayor” of Luhansk recently appointed by the “Lugansk People’s Republic” (“LPR”). He stated that all employees remained in place despite lack of salary payments for the past six months. He said that the city’s pre-conflict population of 400,000 had been reduced by some 50-60,000 people. He also said that the municipality had no budget and that the “LPR People’s Council” was preparing a draft law on taxation.
On 25 December the “LPR deputy prime minister” said to the SMM that “ministries” of sport, culture and religion had been established and a “ministry of foreign affairs” was being created.
On 24 December the SMM monitored a gathering in front of Luhansk city’s regional administration building of about 2,500 people of mixed gender and age. “Peace for Luhansk Region” party flags and “LPR” flags were displayed. Some speakers criticised the “blockade” of the “LPR” by the government, claiming it had caused hardship, hunger and people being denied their pensions. The “LPR” “prime minister” said they needed to focus on building state structures and improving the economy. The event ended peacefully.
On 24, 25 and 26 December, at the JCCC headquarters in Debaltseve (55km North-East of Donetsk), the SMM observed officers of the General Staffs of Ukraine (GSU) and the Russian Federation (GSRF), as well as members of “Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”) and “LPR” working together. GSU and GSRF officers handed over joint incident logs indicating 42, 25 and 43 reported ceasefire violations for 24, 25 and 26 December respectively. On 26 December, they said, four violations had been reported near Horlivka and Piski. Generals Razmaznin (GSU) and Vyaznikov (GSRF) said that the JCCC was trying to reduce tension in Horlivka.
On 26 December two incidents similar to each other had been reported, they said, in government-controlled Orekhovo (170km North-North-East of Donetsk). In one case a civilian vehicle and, in the other, a military vehicle had been destroyed; in both cases the drivers had been killed and a passenger wounded. The Generals said that these incidents could have been caused by unexploded ordnance or mines, but did not yet know what had caused them.
On 25 December General Razmaznin told the SMM that the rotation of Ukrainian armed forces at Donetsk Airport had been successfully completed. Both Ukrainian and Russian JCCC officers said that the situation was calm, despite only 200m separating “DPR” forces and the Ukrainian army (UA).
On 24 December, at 10:38hrs, travelling from government-controlled Soledar (77km North of Donetsk) to Kramatorsk on the E40, the SMM observed three towed D44 anti-tank guns, turning into a field north of the highway.
On 25 December the SMM met the head of Debaltseve town council who stated that only about 60 per cent of the population now remained and 400 houses had been destroyed, including 40 multi-story blocks. He said that the town was left with three days of coal reserves; there were no gas connections; only 60 per cent of shops remained open; and people were afraid to go out after 14:00hrs. The head of the education department said that since 9 December schools had been giving shortened lessons and that, due to security reasons, of 370 pre-school aged children only 30 had been attending kindergartens.
On 25 December, at 12:38hrs, in government-controlled Pryazovske (8km West of Mariupol) an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was twice exposed to GPS jamming and temporarily lost its primary GPS connection. The flight was aborted and the UAV landed safely at its base.
On 26 December the SMM was present and monitored the simultaneous release of 367 hostages/prisoners in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (18 km North-East of Donetsk). The UA handed over 222 “DPR” members, including 21 women, whilst the “DPR” side handed over 145 UA servicemen. One of the prisoners held by the “DPR” side decided not to be released. Three of the “DPR” prisoners from the UA side were transported in an ambulance to the site.
On 26 December, in Kryvyi Rih (137km South-West of Dnipropetrovsk), the chief of police and commander of the Kryvbas volunteer battalion said to the SMM that a protest at the city hall against alleged municipal corruption was a provocation aimed at destabilising the situation in the city. They said that during the protests some activists had forced their way into the building and caused damage. Protests has started earlier that day, they said, when a group of 50 people had protested against an increase in communal prices and against private companies running some public services. Police had used force to disperse this initial protest but actions from the protestors had continued since.
On 23 December the SMM visited the Chongar Crossing Point (CP) (196km South-East of Kherson) on the administrative boundary line (ABL) with Crimea and observed 436 trucks queuing up to pass through the CP. According to some drivers, crossing the ABL from the Ukrainian-controlled side took about four days. The border guard commander said to the SMM that closure of the CP on the other side of the ABL might be the reason for the long wait.
On 24 December the SMM met the Odessa regional transport police regarding an explosion at a freight railway station about 10km South-West of the main station which was reported to have occurred at 9:30hrs on 24 December. He said that a preliminary investigation indicated that the explosion was probably aimed at destabilising the situation rather than causing victims. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched an investigation.
On 24 December at the headquarters of the Council on Public Security, an Odessa-based pro-Maidan group, the SMM discussed with one member an explosion in front of the HQ that was reported to have occurred on 23 December. He stated that two men had thrown a package under a vehicle belonging to the organisation and an explosion had occurred four minutes later. The SMM observed a vehicle the rear of which was damaged. The police confirmed to the SMM that there had been an explosion, but no investigation had yet been launched.
On 24 December the SMM met the Ivano-Frankivsk acting regional military commissar who said that a fourth wave of mobilisation would start on 20 January. He said that the 5th volunteer “Pricarpathia” battalion had been disbanded and that 90 per cent of soldiers wishing to continue their military service had returned to the “Anti-Terrorism Operation” zone.
The situation in Lviv was calm.
On 26 December, the SMM observed a gathering of 50-60 people, mostly male, in front of the Chernivtsi regional administration building, organized by the Chernivtsi Maidan Association. The protest occurred due to members’ failure to have the council’s deputy head removed from office, following a court verdict finding him guilty of corruption. The protestors called for his resignation. The police was present at the event, which ended peacefully.
On 25 December the SMM observed a picket in front of the Kyiv City Hall with about 600 men and women, mostly young, who voiced concerns about illegal construction and land allocation in the Kyiv region and demanded dismissal of city administration officials associated with the former president, Viktor Yanukovych. Protesters blocked traffic for a short time and threatened to pitch tents in the city centre if their demands continued to be ignored. The police was present at the event, which ended peacefully.
On 25 December the SMM observed a gathering of about 600 individuals of various ages, a third of whom were women, in front of the parliament. Protestors from various professional organisations, such as the Academy of Sciences, raised concerns about corruption and budget cuts. The event was monitored by about 150 police officers and ended peacefully.
On 25 December the SMM observed about 75 protesters, mostly elderly women, in front of the presidential administration building, who demanded more robust anti-corruption measures. The police was present at the event, which ended peacefully.