Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30hrs, 17 March 2016

This report is for the media and general public.

The SMM observed fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions than the previous day and continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons. The Mission monitored border areas not controlled by the Government and observed a calm situation. The SMM was restricted in its freedom of movement, mainly in areas not controlled by the Government*. The Mission monitored border areas not controlled by the Government and observed a calm situation. The Mission continued to facilitate and monitor adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure. The SMM facilitated and monitored the resumption of operations at Yasynuvata water filtration station.

The SMM observed a lower number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared to the previous day[1]. During the evening hours of 16 March, the SMM heard 52 undetermined explosions at locations 7-10km north, north-west of its position in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city centre. Positioned at the Donetsk railway station (“DPR”-controlled, 6km north-west of Donetsk) during the day on 17 March, the SMM heard 38 explosions assessed as having been caused by 82mm mortar rounds, 26 undetermined explosions, 20 impacts from automatic grenade launcher (AGS, 30mm), 62 air bursts of anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23/2, 23mm), numerous bursts of heavy machine-gun and small-arms fire and 22 small-arms shots originating from the north, north-east, north-north-east and north-north-west of its position at distances of 2.5-8km. 

In Horlivka  (“DPR”-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk) in the evening hours of 16 March, the SMM heard, within one hour, over 30 undetermined explosions and intense exchanges of artillery, mortar, automatic grenade launcher, heavy-machine-gun, anti-aircraft guns and small-arms fire 5-10km west, north, and east-north-east of its position.

The SMM continued to engage stakeholders on both sides of the contact line to facilitate the resumption of operations at a water filtration station near Yasynuvata (“DPR”-controlled 16km north-east of Donetsk), essential for, according to the station’s director, supplying water to some 400,000 people. Together with Voda Donbassa workers and representatives from the Ukrainian and Russian Federation Armed Forces of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) the SMM was able to access the filtration station. The SMM noted that the filtration station was able to resume operation. Whilst stationary at the filtration station for a period of one hour, the SMM heard seven undetermined explosions and one heavy-machine-gun burst 2-5km north-west and west-south-west of its position. Operations at the filtration station were not affected.

The SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flew over the area, which has been an active hotspot for several days. The imagery from 15 March revealed the following: “DPR” positions near and under the H20/E50 highway bridge some 1.6km south-south-west of the filtration station and numerous armed men; several new “DPR” defensive positions with trenches in areas estimated at 1km east of the filtration station; positions between the highway lanes 2.2km south-west of the filtration station (near the highway bridge and the industrial area (“Promzone”) of Avdiivka (government-controlled, 17km north of Donetsk). The SMM UAV also spotted a possible mortar position alongside the highway, 2.9km south-west of the filtration station. Some 5km north of the filtration station, the UAV spotted Ukrainian Armed Forces defensive positions and military trucks but no heavy equipment. On 17March, the SMM monitored those areas through a foot patrol, which noted that the armed “DPR” members were able to proceed to the road-sign reading “Avdiivka” in black and white colours, located about 100m ahead of the Ukrainian Armed Forces forward positions. The SMM conducted crater analysis of two fresh craters at a Ukrainian Armed Forces position within the Avdiivka “Promzone” and assessed that one was caused by a 120mm mortar round, the other by a 152mm artillery round. Both originated from the east-south-east.

While near Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol), the SMM heard three shots of small-arms fire east of its position. While in government-controlled Berdianske (18km east of Mariupol), the SMM heard and saw three explosions 700m north of its position,  assessed as having been caused by incoming 120mm mortar rounds.  Two undetermined explosions 2km north-east of its position were also noted.

Inside the security zone, the SMM observed a Ukrainian Armed Forces unit conducting a live-fire exercise at the government-controlled Trokhizbenka military training area (33km north-west of Luhansk) involving rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

In relation to the implementation of the Addendum to the Package of Measures, the SMM revisited a Ukrainian Armed Forces permanent storage site whose location corresponded with the withdrawal lines and observed that 18 tanks (seven T-72 and 11 T-64) and two mortars (2B9 Vasilek, 82mm) were missing.

The SMM revisited an “LPR” permanent storage site and observed that all weapons previously verified as withdrawn to the site were present.

In violation of the withdrawal line, on 16 March the SMM long range UAV spotted three tanks in “DPR”-controlled area of Karlo-Marksove (37 km north-east of Donetsk).

The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of heavy weapons as foreseen in the Minsk Package of Measures. The SMM has yet to receive the full information requested in the 16 October 2015 notification.

In violation of respective withdrawal lines the SMM observed one self-propelled howitzer (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) on a tow truck in government-controlled Novoaidar (49km north-west of Luhansk). On 16 March the SMM long range UAV spotted nine towed howitzers (2A18 D-30, 122mm) in Karlo-Marksove.

The SMM revisited locations known to the SMM as heavy weapons holding areas, even though they do not comply with the specific criteria set out for permanent storage sites in the 16 October 2015 notification*.

In government-controlled areas, beyond the respective withdrawal lines, the SMM revisited such locations and observed: 18 towed howitzers (2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm). It also noted 19 anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) missing from one of these areas.

Beyond the withdrawal lines but outside storage sites, the SMM observed: eight self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) and 19 towed howitzers (D30, 122mm) near “LPR”-controlled Uspenka (23km south-west of Luhansk).

The SMM observed the presence of other hardware: one infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP) at the checkpoint near “LPR”-controlled Vesela Hora (16km north of Luhansk); one IFV (BMP-1) and two URAL trucks – of which one was mounted with an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23) – at an “LPR”-controlled checkpoint across the bridge from government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk).

The SMM followed-up on the reported casualty of the incident in the vicinity of “LPR”-controlled Kalynove-Borshchuvate (61km west of Luhansk) (see SMM Daily Report 17 March 2016). The SMM spoke to doctors at the regional hospital in Luhansk city who said that the female casualty had sustained life-threatening injuries, including head trauma, and remained in serious condition. 

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs of essential infrastructure on both sides of the contact line. In the vicinity of government-controlled Krasnohorivka (21km west of Donetsk) and Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM monitored on-going repairs to a gas pipeline. While monitoring the same repair works in nearby Oleksandrivka (“DPR”-controlled, 20km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM heard one undetermined explosion, 13 machine-gun bursts and 18 small-arms shots 2-5km north-north-east and north-north-west of its position. The SMM monitored demining along the railway track between government-controlled Pivdennodonbaska (35km south-west of Donetsk) and “DPR”-controlled Olenivka (21km south-west of Donetsk) and observed the Ukrainian Armed Forces demining team searching the area.

The SMM monitored border areas not controlled by the Government* and observed a calm situation. The SMM observed approximately ten civilian trucks queued to enter the Russian Federation at Dovzhanskyi border crossing point (85km south-east of Luhansk). At the pedestrian border crossing point in Novoborovytsi (80km south of Luhansk), the SMM observed that the crossing point remained unstaffed (see SMM Daily Report 11 March 2016).

The SMM observed long lines at checkpoints close to the contact line. On the H15 road near Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk) at the two government-controlled checkpoints west of the contact line, the SMM observed in the morning at least 500 civilian vehicles waiting to proceed west and 220 civilian vehicles waiting to proceed east. In the afternoon at those checkpoints, the SMM observed 160 civilian vehicles waiting to proceed west and 410 civilian vehicles waiting to proceed east.  

The SMM continued to monitor the situation in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Dnepropetrovsk, Chernivtsi, and Kyiv.

*Restrictions to SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to the fulfilment of its mandate

The SMM is restrained in fulfilling its monitoring functions by restrictions imposed by the parties and security considerations, including mine threats, damaged infrastructure, and the unpredictability of the situation in Donbas. “LPR” members continue to prevent the SMM from monitoring many areas alongside the border in parts of Luhansk region not controlled by the Government, and consistently demand to review SMM patrol plans.

Denial of access:

• “DPR” members denied the SMM access to a location known to it as a heavy weapons holding area.
• At a checkpoint in “LPR”-controlled Sokilnyky (39km north-west of Luhansk) armed men again denied the SMM passage (see SMM Daily Report 17 March 2016). JCCC intervention was unsuccessful.  

Conditional access:

• Armed men demanded to inspect the trunk of one of the SMM’s vehicles at a “DPR”-controlled checkpoint near Olenivka (“DPR”-controlled, 21km south-west of Donetsk) in order to allow it to proceed through the checkpoint.
• Armed men stopped the SMM at the abovementioned checkpoint again on its return journey to Mariupol and demanded to inspect the trunk of one of the SMM vehicles.
• Armed men at the “LPR” checkpoint at Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (16km north-east of Luhansk) only took pictures of the SMM patrol plan and IDs of the monitoring officers coming from government-controlled Sievierodonetsk (74km north-west of Luhansk) and not those approaching from the “LPR”-controlled area.

Delay:

• Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel delayed the SMM for 22 minutes at a checkpoint at the eastern outskirts of Mariupol.

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

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