Spot Report by the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM): Small-arms fire destroys SMM camera at Donetsk Filtration Station

This report is for the media and the general public.

On 8 August, at 20:20 the SMM lost signal of its newly-installed cameras – one thermal and one CCTV – on the roof of the Donetsk Filtration Station’s (DFS) office building (see picture). The DFS is located between government-controlled Avdiivka and “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata, about 15km north of Donetsk city. On 9 August, an SMM patrol inspected the cameras at the DFS and found out that the thermal camera had been damaged by small-arms fire. The SMM observed ten bullet impacts (five of calibre 7.62mm, two of calibre 5.45mm and three either calibre 7.62mm or 5.45mm) to the thermal camera and four bullet impacts (calibre 7.62mm or 5.45mm) to the camera mast. The CCTV camera and the signal transmitter were found intact, but the camera was not operational. The SMM observed two bullet impacts (calibre 7.62mm or 5.45mm) to the CCTV camera’s cable hose. The SMM assessed that all bullets had been fired from a south-south-westerly direction at a distance of 600-800m and from the same altitude as the cameras’ location, 10-12m above the ground. The SMM informed the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination and requested it to follow up.

The SMM removed the thermal camera and replaced the CCTV camera’s cable hose. The CCTV camera restarted operations as of 14:00 on 9 August.

On 3 August, while monitoring the installation of the cameras at the DFS, the SMM heard small-arms fire in the area, including the sound of bullets flying overhead. (See SMM Spot Report 4 August 2017.)