Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30, 28 August 2016

This report is for media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more explosions in Donetsk region on both 27 and 28 August (at least 476 and 996, respectively) compared with the previous reporting period (over 406). The SMM also recorded significantly more explosions in Luhansk region, over 200 on each day compared with 26 August when it recorded fewer than ten. It followed up on reports of civilian casualties and analysed craters on both sides of the contact line, in districts of Donetsk city, Krasnohorivka, Horlivka, Popasna, Krymske, Novooleksandrivka and Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and noted the presence of armoured combat vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the security zone. The SMM facilitated the transfer of a deceased person’s body over the Shchastia bridge and facilitated and monitored repairs to essential infrastructure. The Mission visited three border areas not controlled by the Government. It faced five restrictions to its freedom of movement. The Mission observed a calm situation along the administrative boundary line with Crimea.

The SMM noted an escalation in violence over the weekend and significantly more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, which included at least 996 explosions recorded during the day on 28 August, compared with the 406 explosions recorded on 26 August. During the night of 26 August and on 27 August, the SMM also recorded a higher number of explosions (at least 476) compared with 26 August.[1]

The highest number of ceasefire violations was again recorded in the Avdiivka-Yasynuvata-Donetsk airport triangle. Whilst in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city, on the night of 26 August, the SMM heard 72 undetermined explosions 7-9km north-west of its position. During the day of 27 August, the SMM heard some 21 explosions, six of which were assessed as impacts, five as outgoing mortar rounds and ten as outgoing automatic grenade launcher rounds at a range of 0.5km to 2.5km south-east of its position in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk). On the night of 27 August, the SMM camera in Avdiivka recorded 82 explosions, 52 of which the SMM assessed as impacts of rounds from unknown weapons systems, while 30 were assessed as outgoing rounds (18 of 82mm mortar and 12 of recoilless gun (SPG-9)), all 2-6km east-south-east of its location. During the day on 28 August, the SMM heard at least 200 undetermined explosions, numerous bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire 3-4km south-east of its position.

Positioned at the Donetsk central railway station (6km north-west of Donetsk city centre), during the day on 28 August, the SMM heard at least 679 undetermined explosions and numerous bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire at locations ranging between 3km and 10km north-west, north-east, north-north-east and north of its position.

Positioned in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk) during the night of 27-28 August, the SMM heard two undetermined explosions 6-8km north-west of its position and 24 undetermined explosions 2-4km south-east of its position. On the same night, the SMM heard 86 explosions, 40 of which it assessed as outgoing rounds (21 from 122mm artillery, seven 82 mm mortar, 12 infantry fighting vehicle cannon), while 35 were assessed as impacts of 122mm artillery (18) rounds, 120mm mortar (six) rounds, 82mm mortar (five) and recoilless gun (SPG -9) (six) rounds, while the remainder were undetermined, all 2-4km south-east of its position. Positioned in government-controlled Maiorsk (45km north-east of Donetsk) in the afternoon, within 35 minutes, the SMM heard 23 explosions, 13 of which it assessed as impacts of 82mm mortar rounds 2km north-north east of its position.

The SMM camera in Shyrokyne (government-controlled, 20km east of Mariupol) recorded relatively low levels of kinetic activity, including 11 undetermined explosions of unknown weapons systems, as well as 48 shots of direct tracer fire, all at an undetermined distance north, north-north-east, north-east and east of its position on the night of 27-28 August.

In Luhansk region the SMM noted a significantly higher level of violence on both 27 and 28 August (at least 248 and at least 201 explosions, respectively) compared with 26 August daytime (up to nine explosions). Whilst in government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk) on the evening of 26 August, in three hours the SMM heard 143 undetermined explosions assessed as caused by automatic grenade launcher, recoilless gun and 82mm mortar rounds as well as hundreds of bursts and shots of heavy machine-guns and small arms, all 3-5km south and south-west of its position. During the day on 27 August, positioned in Slovianoserbsk (“LPR”-controlled, 28km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard six explosions assessed as impacts of unknown projectiles north-west of its position. On the evening of 27 August, whilst in Stanytsia Luhanska, the SMM saw and heard 196 explosions, assessed as outgoing 120mm mortar rounds 0.6km south-west and 0.8km south-east of its position. From the same location, on the evening of 27 August, the SMM saw and heard four to six unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles flying across the contact line, 3-5km south-west of its position. On 28 August, during the day, the SMM heard four undetermined explosions 1.5-2km south of its position in government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk)

The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties, observed the results of shelling and analysed craters on both sides of the contact line. In government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk), on 27 August, the SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties resulting from shelling on the night of 23-24 August. At the hospital in Popasna, medical personnel told the SMM that there had been a female casualty who had been treated for minor injuries as an outpatient. At the Horlivka Hospital No. 2, on 28 August, the SMM spoke with medical personnel who said that one woman and two men had been admitted on the evening of 27 August after Zaitseve (50km north-east of Donetsk) was shelled. One man had received outpatient assistance, while the other two patients had undergone surgery to remove small shrapnel fragments and were stable. The SMM spoke with the two patients, one of whom said she had been injured in her garden around 18:00, while the other said he had been injured outside his house around 19:30. Both said that armed men had driven them to the hospital, because ambulances would not come during shelling. Also on 28 August, the SMM spoke with a middle-aged woman, who had been injured in shelling she said had occurred around 21:00 on 27 August, while she, her husband and grandchild were in their house in Kuibyshevskyi district of Donetsk city (“DPR”-controlled, 5km north-west of Donetsk city centre). The SMM saw injuries to the woman’s face and noticed she had difficulty hearing. The woman told the SMM that she had refused to be taken to hospital on 27 August, but went on 28 August, and her X-rays had shown foreign bodies in her abdominal area and right hip, and she would return to hospital for further treatment. Inside the victim’s house the SMM observed extensive shrapnel damage to the walls of both rooms, both windows shattered, damaged furniture. Outside the house the SMM saw two fresh craters. One was 5m south-east of the victim’s house in the asphalt with the fuse still in. The second crater was 12m south-east of the house in the soft soil and 2m north-west of another house (across the street). The SMM saw shrapnel damage to the tarmac, the south-east-facing façade of the victim’s house and the north-west-facing façade of the house across the road, its fence, broken windows and a damaged tree. The SMM assessed both craters as caused by mortar rounds of unknown calibre fired from a westerly direction. At the trauma admission office of Hospital No. 14, in Petrovskyi district (“DPR”-controlled, 15km south-west of Donetsk city centre) medical personnel refused to provide any information about two civilian casualties allegedly brought there on 25 August.

In government-controlled Krymske (42km north-west of Luhansk), on 26 August, the SMM saw two fresh impacts and noticed destroyed trees and many shrapnel holes in one the building walls located in the vicinity at the eastern edge of the village. The SMM assessed both craters as caused by 122mm artillery rounds fired from a southerly direction. In Novooleksandrivka (65km west of Luhansk), on 27 August, the SMM saw a destroyed beehive in the garden of a house and a fresh crater it assessed as caused by an automatic grenade launcher (AGS) round fired from an easterly direction. On 27 August, the SMM analysed four fresh craters in government-controlled Krasnohorivka (21km south-west of Donetsk), reportedly caused by shelling on the night of 26-27 August. One of the craters was located in the yard of house and the SMM assessed it as caused by a 122mm multiple-launch rocket system round fired from an easterly direction. At the site, the SMM saw that part of the roof and windows on the northern part of the residence were damaged, while a hay storage shed located in the backyard, 2m north of the house, was completely burned down. The elderly resident of the house and her daughter told the SMM that the impact happened at 05:00 on 27 August. At another location in the town, the SMM saw three fresh craters, in the vicinity of two houses. One of the craters, on a unpaved road, had been contaminated by cars driving over it, but the SMM recovered shrapnel and assessed the crater had been caused by a 120mm mortar round fired from an east-south-easterly direction. The second crater was located in a garden approximately 25m west-south-west of a house and the SMM assessed it as cause by a 122mm round fired from an east-south-easterly direction. The third crater was located in a field, approximately 120m north-east of a house and the SMM assessed it as caused by a 120mm mortar round fired from a north-easterly direction. Residents told the SMM that the shelling had occurred at approximately 01:30 on 27 August. No casualties were reported at either location.

In the Kuibyshevskyi district of Donetsk city (“DPR”-controlled, 5km north-west of Donetsk city centre), on 27 August, the SMM analysed two fresh craters. One was located in a garden, approximately 15m from the nearest residential apartment building. The SMM observed damage to the surrounding vegetation and adjacent building, including a gas pipeline, ten broken windows and superficial damage to walls and doors. The other crater was located in a garden, approximately 30m from the nearest residential apartment building and the SMM saw shrapnel damage to an adjacent building and to a nearby power line. The power line was in the process of being repaired whilst the SMM was on site. The SMM assessed both craters as caused by rounds at least 120mm in calibre, fired from a north-westerly direction. No casualties were reported by residents who told the SMM the shelling had taken place during the night of 26-27 August. In “DPR”-controlled Makiivka (12km north-east of Donetsk), on 27 August, the SMM analysed two fresh craters. One crater was in the grounds of a two-storey kindergarten, 1m from the building and the SMM assessed it as caused as a 120mm artillery round fired from a northerly direction. The SMM saw extensive shrapnel damage to the wall of the building, as well as to a gas pipeline and buildings 30m south of the kindergarten. The second crater was located in a wooded area adjacent to a railway line, approximately 15m from an power sub-station building serving a coal mine and 24m from the nearest residential building. The SMM assessed it as caused by a 120mm artillery round fired from a north-westerly direction. No casualties were reported at either location.

On 27 August, 200m north of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, in the area between Ukrainian Armed Forces and “LPR” positions, the SMM saw six fresh craters, which it assessed as caused by 82mm mortar rounds (two craters), rocket-propelled grenade launcher (RPG-7) rounds (two craters) and under-barrel grenade launcher rounds (two craters), all fired from a southerly direction. The SMM observed that the Ukrainian forward position was significantly damaged by direct fire. Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel told the SMM that the shelling had occurred between 20:30-24:00 on 26 August. On 28 August, on the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, about 100m north of the broken section, the SMM saw one fresh crater close to a concrete block, 1m east of the asphalt road, and assessed it as caused by a recoilless gun round fired from a south-easterly direction. About 25m north of this location, the SMM saw another fresh crater and assessed it as caused by a rocket-propelled grenade round fired from a northerly direction. About 150m south of the southernmost “LPR” checkpoint in the direction of the Prince Ihor monument, the SMM saw one fresh crater on the asphalt. The SMM saw a 120mm mortar round fragment embedded in the asphalt road and shrapnel damage to the surrounding tarmac. The SMM assessed the 120mm mortar round had been fired from a northerly direction. On 27 August, in the “LPR”-controlled area in the vicinity of the monument, the SMM saw that a pylon of the 35KW power line was destroyed. In government-controlled Novotoshkivske (53km west of Luhansk), on 28 August, the SMM saw a fresh crater in a field 600m north of a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint situated 3.5km north of the village. The SMM assessed it as caused by a 152mm artillery round fired from a southerly direction.

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

In violation of the withdrawal lines, on 27 August whilst in Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk), the SMM heard and saw at least three 120mm mortars firing from two different positions, 0.6km south-west and 0.8km south-east of its location. The SMM saw also one mortar of unknown calibre at a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint north-east of Popasna. On 28 August, near Ivanivka (government-controlled, 59km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM revisited a military compound and found ten multiple-launch rocket systems (BM21 Grad, 122mm) and seven piles of 122mm ammunition for this system. The Ukrainian Armed Forces commander at the compound stated that each pile contained approximately 40 projectiles.

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside assigned areas, the SMM observed 16 tanks (T-64) at a known training area near “LPR”-controlled Myrne (28km south-west of Luhansk).

The SMM observed weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage does not comply with the criteria set out in the 16 October 2015 notification. In government-controlled areas beyond the respective withdrawal line the SMM saw 29 tanks (T-64).

The SMM revisited Ukrainian Armed Forces permanent storage sites and found the sites still abandoned and the following weapons missing: 50 tanks (39 T-72, 11 T-64), 20 mortars (14 2B9 Vasilek, 82mm, six 2B11 Sani, 120mm) and one anti-tank gun (D-44, 85mm).

The SMM observed the presence of armoured combat vehicles, an anti-aircraft gun, UAVs and other hardware in the security zone. In government-controlled areas the SMM observed three armoured personnel carriers (APC; two BTR and a BRDM-2) in Popasna. On 27 August, near Avdiivka the SMM saw three empty transporter trailers, a damaged APC (BTR-70) and three reconnaissance vehicles (BRDM) moving away from the contact line. In “LPR”-controlled Luhansk city, the SMM saw a convoy consisting of two APCs (BTR-80), four Ural trucks carrying armed men and one Ural truck mounted with an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23-2). On the evening of 27 August, while in Stanytsia Luhanska, the SMM saw and heard four to six unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles flying across the contact line, 3-5km south-west of its position (see above under ceasefire violations).

The SMM observed the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in areas close to the contact line. On 27 August, at the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (16km north-east of Luhansk), in the area between the “LPR” and Ukrainian Armed Forces forward positions, the SMM observed the presence of one antitank missile and one GP-25 under-barrel grenade located on the tarmac 60m north of the bridge. On the same day, the SMM monitored the removal of the latter UXO by “LPR” members, while the former was not removed. On 28 August, near the “LPR” checkpoint south of the bridge, the SMM saw an unexploded 120mm mortar embedded in the road leading to the Prince Igor monument.

The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable the handover of bodies of a deceased person across the contact line in Shchastia. On the bridge, between a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint in Shchastia and an “LPR” checkpoint south-east of Shchastia, the SMM observed the body of a deceased man being handed over by members of a civil society organization across the bridge from “LPR”-controlled area to government-controlled area, where civil-military co-operation personnel took custody of the body.

The SMM monitored three border areas not controlled by the Government. On 27 August, in “LPR”-controlled Leonove (formerly Chervonyi Zhovten, 82km south of Luhansk), the SMM spoke to an elderly resident who stated that only people who had family members on the other side of the border were allowed to cross. On 28 August, at the Ulianivske border crossing point (“DPR”-controlled, 61km south-east of Donetsk) in about one hour around noon the SMM saw one person enter Ukraine and eight adults and one child exit. The SMM spoke to all adults crossing who said they visited relatives in the Russian Federation. One woman entering Ukraine told the SMM that she used to live in Donetsk city, but her home was destroyed and she now lived in the Russian Federation. On 28 August, at the “LPR”-controlled pedestrian border crossing point near Krasnodarskyi (58km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw five people enter Ukraine and seven people exit within 45 minutes. The area of the border crossing was still unstaffed. The SMM observed ten vehicles in the parking area, three with Russian Federation licence plates, the remainder with Ukrainian licence plates, parked close to the crossing point. The SMM spoke with four people entering Ukraine, who said they crossed to visit relatives. At the Krasnodarskyi 2 pedestrian border crossing (57km south-east of Luhansk), within 30 minutes the SMM saw six people enter Ukraine, and three vehicles parked close to the crossing point. The civilians gave similar reasons for crossing as those at Krasnodarskyi 1.

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential infrastructure. In “LPR”-controlled Obozne (18km north of Luhansk) demining and repairs to water pipelines and in government-controlled Zolote-4 (60km west of Luhansk) – repairs to a leaking water pipe.

The SMM continued to monitor the situation along the administrative boundary line between the mainland and Crimea. At the Kalanchak, Chaplynka and Chonhar crossing points (67km, 72km and 167km south-east of Kherson, respectively), as well as the Ad Peninsula (96km south-east of Kherson), the SMM observed a calm situation and relatively low levels of traffic across the line on both 27 and 28 August. On 27 August, in the morning three kilometres south of the village of Pryvitne (48km south-east of Kherson), the SMM saw a military convoy moving north, which consisted of two all-terrain vehicles, two trucks (Kamaz) towing two flatbeds loaded with one tank (T-80) each and another truck (Kamaz).

*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 to 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 to the SMM’s freedom of movement constitutes a violation, and on the need for rapid response to these violations.

Denial of access:

• On 27 August, armed “DPR” members again denied the SMM access to the northern part of Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, “DPR”-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol) (see SMM Daily Report 27 August 2016). The SMM informed the Joint Centre for Control and Co-Ordination (JCCC).
• On 28 August, armed “DPR” members twice denied the SMM access to Yasynuvata (“DPR”-controlled, 17km north-east of Donetsk), in the morning and in the afternoon. The SMM informed the JCCC about both cases.
• On 28 August, armed “DPR” members denied the SMM access to a compound located near Samiilove (“DPR”-controlled, 89km south-east of Donetsk). The SMM informed the JCCC.
• On 28 August, an armed “LPR” member denied the SMM access to areas of “LPR”-controlled Kalynove (60km west of Luhansk). The SMM informed the JCCC.

Other impediments:

• On 27 August, the SMM noted that the main road leading through “LPR”-controlled Kalynove-Borshchuvate (61km west of Luhansk) was blocked in two different places, approximately 700m apart: the first barrier was placed at the intersection with the main T-0504 road between “LPR”-controlled Pervomaisk (58km west of Luhansk) and government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk). The second barrier was placed 700m south of the T-0504 road – directly on the main road to Kalynove-Borshchuvate. The barriers were made of wood and each consisted of two tripods and a sign “Passage closed” (written in Russian).

[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.