Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 18:00 (Kyiv time), 27 October 2014

This report is for media and the general public.

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum. The Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained tense. Shelling resumed in the Mariupol area. The NGONGO
non-governmental organization “Territorial Defence” in Ivano-Frankivsk is prepared to protect the region from possible military and terrorist threats.

At 10:25hrs there was a bomb alert at the regional administration building in Kharkiv’s Liberty Square. The building was evacuated and no explosive device was found.

The situation remained tense in the Luhansk region. In Faschivka (76km south-west of Luhansk) the commander of the last Ukrainian Army (UA) Checkpoint (CP) said that there had been GRAD attacks between 07:30hrs and 07:45hrs in the direction of Chornukhyne (73km south-west of Luhansk). The SMM continued to the nearby CP held by the “Lugansk People’s Republic” where the Cossack commander stated that the village council in Faschivka was no longer functional and that the population was receiving support only from the Cossacks. The commanders of both CPs said to the SMM that they had been in telephone contact with each other. 

The SMM met Ukrainian and Russian officers of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) responsible for sectors A and S. They said that they had not received any new instructions from the JCCC HQ and were waiting for the SMM to supply vehicles and communication equipment. The SMM stated that it is not in a position to provide the vehicles and equipment needed by the JCCC, as this does not fall under the SMM’s remit.)

In Debaltseve (70km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM monitored the work of the JCCC HQ. The head of the Ukrainian contingent, Lt. Gen Volodymyr Askarov, said that the meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian members of the JCCC, scheduled for 28 October to discuss measures to strengthen the ceasefire in the area of Donetsk airport, would be postponed until the week beginning 3 November due to unexpected technical reasons which were not specified by the interlocutor.

In the city of Donetsk and its surroundings, the security situation remained tense. The SMM heard intermittent shelling late afternoon in the northern outskirts of the city where the airport is located.

Shelling resumed in the Mariupol area. The “Anti-Terrorism Operation” liaison officer and the commander of CP 13A informed the SMM by phone at 09:00hrs that several Ukrainian military positions around the CPs 12 (125km south of Donetsk) and 13A (121km south of Donetsk) had been targeted with mortar, tank, and GRAD shelling during the early morning. Therefore, these CPs as well as CPs 9A and 10 in their proximity were not included in the SMM patrol route. The SMM visited CPs 7, 8, 9, 13, 14 and 15 where the CP personnel reported heavy on-going GRAD and mortar shelling, which started early in the morning at 07:00hrs, all reportedly originating from positions held by the “Donetsk People’s Republic” to the north and east of these CPs. The SMM patrol between 10:00hrs and 12:00hrs heard several of these shelling incidents, but was unable to assess the origin or potential targets.

The SMM monitored a protest against the establishment of a new Ukrainian CP aimed at protecting the bridge over the river Kalmius between Talakivka (121km south of Donetsk) and Sartana (117km south of Donetsk). The police were not present, but the SMM observed the presence of a Ukrainian Army representative. Around twenty residents of mixed gender from both villages gathered at the planned location of the CP and expressed concerns over the targeting of their houses by “DPR” forces due to the close proximity of the CP. The residents reported that shelling had started around 07:00hrs in the area and was still on-going at 12:00hrs; reportedly four houses were damaged and a female civilian was wounded. The SMM could not verify this information due to security restrictions, but it heard instances of shelling during their visit.

The situation in Dnipropetrovsk was calm.

The SMM met the head of the Kherson regional department of social protection who expects that the “law on ensuring the rights and freedoms of internally displaced persons”, once enforced, will generate a positive impact on the IDP situation as it will provide most IDPs with financial assistance for a period of six months and also inform IDPs about their rights. At regional levels the department will take over co-ordination matters from the State Emergency Services. The SMM also spoke to the first deputy head of the Kherson state migration services department who said that the issuance of personal documents would remain in their portfolio, while IDP registration management at the railway station would be handed over to the department of social protection.

The situation in Odesa and Chernivtsi was calm.

In Ivano-Frankivsk the SMM met the regional head of the non-governmental organization “Territorial Defence”, established in April 2014 upon the initiative of the governor of Ivano-Frankivsk with the aim to protect the region from military and terrorist threats. Reportedly, the NGO has four centres in the region with around 1,300 mostly male members between 18 and 60. Negotiations with the Ministry of Defence are reportedly underway regarding the handing out of weapons to citizens through this NGO should there be an emergency.

The SMM monitored the regional press conference on the parliamentary elections at the Lviv Press Club. The acting governor stated that the Lviv region had the highest turnout and that there was at least one law enforcement officer present at each polling station. A representative of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine stated that the turnout was approximately 70%.

The situation in Kyiv was calm.