Latest from the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine - Monday, 14 April 2014

This update is provided for the media and the public

Throughout the day of 14 April 2014, the western and central parts of Ukraine remained calm, with routine police presence, whereas the situation in the south-eastern and eastern regions of the country remained tense. The situation in Donetsk and Luhansk districts continued to cause concerns owing to the observed presence of masked individuals in several towns of the region, occupying several administrative buildings and erecting barricades and roadblocks.

The overall situation in Kharkiv, compared to the previous day, seemed calmer and with notably reduced police presence; however, tension still persists. No protesters have been seen in front of the Kharkiv City Administration building since 13 April.

In Luhansk the situation remained tense. In the morning, up to 300 persons were observed at the entrance of the Security Services (SBU) building. Molotov cocktails and stones could be seen at the fourth reinforced barrier to the right of the SBU building. The monitors also observed a new red tent in which two people asked passers-by to sign a petition for a referendum.

The situation in Donetsk and in the region is particularly tense. The Donetsk Oblast Administration building remains occupied. The Russian Federation and Donbas People’s Militia flags had been removed from the main entrance of the local branch of the Ministry of Interior and the building was guarded by an armed interior ministry guard. The official emblem of the Ministry of Interior at the entrance was almost entirely covered by a poster with the flag of the so-called “Donetsk Republic”. The local population seemed very concerned about the situation in the city and the region. However, all the main institutions of the city observed by the Monitoring Team seemed to be working normally.

In Yenakiyeve the Town Administration offices appeared to be calm and without barricades, but with the flag of the “Donetsk Republic” flying over the building. There were about 30 people in front of the building, including one man with a laptop computer hooked up to a loud public address system. Messages, recorded in a professional manner, were being played promoting the unification of eastern Ukraine with the Russian Federation.

In Debaltseve several roadblocks manned by about 20 persons each, all unarmed and unmasked, were noticed. One kilometre further up the road, the Team watched traffic police backed up by two police officers with assault rifles.

In Horlivka the Monitoring Team observed around 100 people building barricades with tyres and sandbags at the branch office of the Ministry of Interior. A “Donetsk Republic” flag was flying on the roof of the building. Inside the barricades the Team saw bottles of what they judged to be fuel. The Team also observed several truckloads of tyres and sandbags being delivered to the building. The flag of the “Donetsk Republic” was flying on the City Administration building.

In Mariupol the Team observed that the City Hall was occupied, with barricades erected on both sides of the building manned by masked men with sticks. The City Hall was adorned with the flags of the Russian Federation and “Donetsk Republic”. Despite the barricades, the situation appeared to be calm, with many elderly people gathered there, listening to the speeches, and children playing in a nearby playground. The SBU building was closed. According to its caretaker, all those who are in charge of the local Ministry had gone to Donetsk. Inhabitants of the town expressed their concerns about the economic hardships and the further deterioration of the economic situation in the area owing to political tensions with the Russian Federation – a main export market for the products of local factories.

In Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson and Odesa the situation seemed calm. In Dnipropetrovsk a Monitoring Team tried to verify information of the local media about several roadblocks in the district; but the Team saw none of these in their work throughout the day.

In the western Ukrainian cities of Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv the overall situation was calm with routine police presence.

The situation in Kyiv was stable during the reporting period, with routine police presence, including in the Maidan Square.