Spot Report by OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM): Explosions occur in Donetsk city centre

This report is for the media and the general public.

At about 08:00 on the morning of 18 February in non-government-controlled Donetsk city, while standing in front of the Mission’s residence on Pushkina Boulevard, two SMM staff members heard at least two explosions approximately 100-150 metres south-south-east. Other SMM personnel were in the residence. Nobody was injured.

Later, the SMM saw two fresh craters (about 70cm in diameter) in the area, about 100m and 300m south of the SMM’s residence. At the location of the first crater, 2m east of a gas distribution station (west of Pushkina Boulevard), the Mission observed that four bricks on the east-facing side of the station and an extended part of the corrugated roof on the same side were damaged. At the second crater, about 7-8m north of a residential apartment building at 70 Kobozeva Street, the SMM saw dirt and small holes on the north-facing side of the building, consistent with the dirt and pebbles on the ground. The Mission assessed the damage at both sites as having been caused by the detonation of explosive devices without casing (type undetermined).

The SMM noted no significant changes in the general security situation in the city.