Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30, 6 July 2016

This report is for media and the general public.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations compared to the previous reporting period. Most of the fighting was recorded in the areas around Yasynuvata, Donetsk city and Shyrokyne. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded no ceasefire violations. The Mission followed up on reports of shelling in Kuibyshevskyi district of Donetsk city and Lozove. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and observed the presence of weapons in violation of withdrawal lines. The SMM continued monitoring the ceasefire and facilitating repairs to essential infrastructure on both sides of the contact line in Toretsk, Shchastia, Zolote and Krasnyi Lyman. The Mission continued to monitor the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line and monitored one border area not controlled by the Government. The SMM faced restrictions to its freedom of movement*. The SMM monitored two peaceful protests in Kyiv and Odessa.

The SMM observed more of ceasefire violations[1] in Donetsk region compared to the previous reporting period.

During the night hours of 5 July, whilst in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard, within an hour, seven explosions assessed as outgoing 82mm mortar rounds, one explosion assessed as an outgoing artillery round (unknown calibre), 88 undetermined explosions as well as four bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, four bursts and three single shots of small-arms fire, all at locations ranging from 4 to 11km west, north-west and north-north-west of its position as well as three small-arms shots 300 metres of its position.

In the early morning of 6 July, whilst in “DPR”-controlled Debaltseve (58km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard one shot of small-arms fire 2-5km north-west of its position

Whilst at the “DPR”-controlled Donetsk central railway station (6km north-west of Donetsk city centre) during the day, the SMM heard at least 211 undetermined explosions, heard at least 29 bursts and single shots of heavy-machine gun, recoilless gun (SPG-9) and small-arms fire at locations ranging from 2 to 8km north and north-north-east of its position and saw and heard two airbursts 2-3km north of its position.

Positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard, within one hour in the afternoon, 236 undetermined explosions along with multiple bursts of small-arms and heavy-machine-gun fire at 1 to 6km west-south-west, west, west-north-west, north-west, north-north-west and north of its position, including 202 undetermined explosions and overlapping bursts and single shots of anti-aircraft gun, heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire at 2 to 4km west and west-south-west of its position. Whilst in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk), the SMM heard fifteen undetermined explosions, ten explosions assessed as automatic-grenade-launcher round impacts and continuous small arms fire 3-5km south-east of its position.

During the night of 5-6 July, the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded at an unknown distance north-north-east, north, and east-north-east of its position: 13 explosions assessed as impacts of undetermined projectiles, three undetermined explosions and one airburst. Likewise, the camera recorded an exchange of tracer fire, which began in the late evening hours with (in sequence): 34 bursts of direct tracer fire south to north-north-east, six bursts north-west to north-east and end around midnight with one direct tracer burst east to west.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded no ceasefire violations.

The Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) failed to provide the security guarantees, which were to enable the SMM to visit the areas of Petrivske (“DPR”-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk) and the Zolote-Pervomaisk crossing route (60km west of Luhansk).*

The SMM followed up on reports of shelling. On 5 July, the SMM conducted analysis of impact sites at two locations: in the “DPR”-controlled Kuibyshevskyi district of Donetsk city and in “DPR”-controlled Lozove (12km west of Donetsk). At the first location, the SMM saw a bus that had suffered a direct hit on its roof, minor damages to a house (15 metres south of the impact), and shattered windows of the flats surrounding the bus. The SMM saw a fuse underneath the bus and a part of a mortar round tailfin right by the bus. The SMM assessed that the bus had been hit by an 82mm mortar round fired from an unknown direction. Four residents told the SMM separately that they had witnessed the incident and that it had occurred at 22:00 on 4 July. Whilst at the site, the SMM heard 122 bursts of small arms fire 1km south-south-west of its location. In the village of Lozove, the SMM observed the remnants of a burned down inhabited house. The SMM spoke separately to three residents at the site (the owner of the house and two neighbours) who said that they had heard some firing on the night of 4-5 July, but in the area they observed a “burning flash” falling from above, hitting the house. The SMM saw at least six burned vehicles in one area of the burned down building.  

The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons, in accordance with the Package of Measures and its Addendum, as well as the Minsk Memorandum.

In violation of the respective withdrawal lines, the SMM saw two surface-to-air missile systems (9K33 Osa-8, 120mm) in government-controlled areas: one stationary at the eastern outskirts of Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk) and one heading west on the motorway east of Bakhmutivka (40km north-west of Luhansk).

The SMM also observed heavy weapons in areas which do not comply with the criteria set in the 16 October 2015 notification. In a government-controlled area beyond the respective withdrawal lines, the SMM observed 18 towed anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm).

The SMM observed the presence of armoured combat vehicles in the security zone. Aerial surveillance imagery available to the SMM revealed the presence of one armoured vehicle in government-controlled areas of Stanytsia Luhanska, three armoured vehicles in “LPR”-controlled areas south of the Siverskyi Donets river near Stanytsia Luhanska, two armoured vehicles near “DPR”-controlled Horlivka, all on 2 July, as well as one armoured vehicle near government-controlled Bohdanivka (41km south-west of Donetsk) on 5 July.

The SMM continued to observe the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO). In government-controlled Peredilske (24km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM noted that the remnants of one of the three previously observed (see SMM Daily Report 20 October 2015) multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) rockets had been removed, but the other two were still present. The village council head (woman, about 40 years old) told the SMM that the remnants had already been rendered safe by the State Emergency Service. In “DPR”-controlled Rozsypne (60km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM noted that a previously observed piece of UXO (MLRS Smerch, 300mm; see SMM Daily Report 1 June 2016) had not been removed. The SMM saw young children playing near the UXO. The SMM informed the Russian Federation Armed Forces representatives at the JCCC and disseminated mine awareness material to children in the village.

The SMM continued to observe queues at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. At a government checkpoint in Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM observed at least 250 pedestrians and 210 civilian cars waiting in queue to enter government-controlled areas as well as at least 100 pedestrians and 90 civilian vehicles waiting to travel in the opposite direction. At the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge in the morning hours, the SMM saw a queue of approximately 250 pedestrians at the first government checkpoint north of the bridge and no queue in the opposite direction. At the “LPR” checkpoint immediately south of the Siverskyi Donets river, the SMM saw 20 people waiting to walk towards government-controlled areas. On the bridge the SMM observed a woman coming from the “LPR”-controlled areas with an eye injury, reportedly because she had fallen while crossing the bridge. Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel escorted her to the medical tent near the government checkpoint. Within 90 minutes in the afternoon at the government checkpoint, the SMM saw 193 people enter government-controlled areas and 240 people travel in the opposite direction.

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure. The SMM monitored and facilitated repair works in the area of a factory near government-controlled Toretsk (formerly Dzerzhynsk, 43km north of Donetsk). In Shchastia (government-controlled, 20km north of Luhansk), the SMM monitored and facilitated repairs to water pumps and electricity pylons in the area of the Shchastia power plant. In government-controlled areas of Zolote (60km west of Luhansk), the SMM monitored and facilitated an assessment of repair needs of electrical pylons. The SMM monitored and facilitated repair works to the Krasnyi Lyman water intake and the maintenance of a gas pipeline between government-controlled Trokhizbenka (33km north-west of Luhansk) and “LPR”-controlled Krasnyi Lyman (30km north-west of Luhansk).

The SMM monitored a border area not controlled by the Government. At the Voznesenivka (formerly Chervonopartyzansk) border crossing point (“LPR”-controlled, 64km south-east of Luhansk) the SMM observed: 15 civilian vehicles parked near the crossing point (13 bearing Ukrainian licence plates and two Russian Federation plates) as well as four parked taxis (bearing Ukrainian licence plates); five civilian vehicles (with Ukrainian licence plates) in a queue to enter the Russian Federation. Within one hour, the SMM saw two of the five civilian vehicles leave Ukraine and three civilian vehicles (all bearing Russian Federation licence plates) and an unmarked freight lorry (national registration plate unknown) enter Ukraine.

The SMM monitored two peaceful protests against a planned increase in utility tariffs. In Kyiv, the SMM saw approximately 8,000 people (men and women of different ages) take part in a protest march, which concluded at the Parliament building. The SMM observed approximately 1,500 National Guard, and approximately 700 patrol and riot police officers present along the route of the march. In Odessa, the SMM saw between 250-300 people (men and women of different ages) protest in front of the Odessa Regional State Administration building. The SMM saw ten police officers present.

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

The SMM’s monitoring is restrained by security hazards and threats, including risks posed by mines and unexploded ordnance, and by restrictions of its freedom of movement 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.

Denial of access:

• An armed “DPR” member denied the SMM passage at a checkpoint at the eastern entrance to Kozatske (“DPR”-controlled, 36km north-east of Mariupol) via the main road. The JCCC was informed.
• An armed “LPR” member at the “LPR” checkpoint immediately south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (16km north-east of Luhansk) did not allow the SMM further access to the bridge unless it presented its patrol plan in Russian. The SMM did not comply and observed the bridge from the area of the checkpoint.

Conditional access:

• An armed “DPR” member at a checkpoint at the western entrance of “DPR”-controlled Kominternove (23km north-east of Mariupol), told the SMM that it was not allowed to deviate from the main road and/or stop in the village or speak to residents. The JCCC was informed.

[1] Please see the annexed table for a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations as well as map of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions marked with locations featured in this report.