News and press releases

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. It followed up on reports of a civilian casualty as a result of an explosion of a heavy-machine-gun round in Shchastia. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area and new military positions inside the Petrivske disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as at a heavy weapons holding area in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region and in Verkhnoshyrokivske.* It observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines including in Buhaivka, Miusynsk and Khrustalnyi. The Mission’s long-range unmanned aerial vehicle spotted a convoy of trucks on a dirt road near the border with the Russian Federation where there are no border crossing facilities in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region, in the middle of the night. It continued to monitor the situation at the closed entry-exit checkpoint near Stanytsia Luhanska where it observed construction works and road repairs. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to water infrastructure near Zolote, Pervomaisk and Krasnyi Lyman.

At 10:10 on 5 September, an SMM patrol consisting of six members and two armoured vehicles was positioned at a checkpoint of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on road T1316, approximately 400m from the northern edge of the Zolote disengagement area. Two patrol members were standing next to the vehicles and the others were inside the vehicles with the doors open when they heard seven explosions 150-200m south-south-east. The SMM assessed four of the explosions as outgoing mortar rounds (type undetermined) and the remaining as outgoing rounds of undetermined weapons. The SMM immediately left the area.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Petrivske disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas.* It continued to monitor the situation at the closed entry-exit checkpoint near Stanytsia Luhanska where it observed construction works. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to water infrastructure near Pervomaisk and Krasnyi Lyman.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous 24 hours. Following the explosion on Pushkina Boulevard in Donetsk city on 31 August, the Mission continued to observe a calm situation in the city centre. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area as well as near Topolyne and Pryvilne.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines near Kremenivka. It continued to monitor the situation at the closed entry-exit checkpoint near Stanytsia Luhanska and to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM’s observations remained limited due to security considerations.

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons decreased at both BCPs compared to the previous week.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region between the evenings of 31 August and 1 September, compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 1 and 2 September, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous 24 hours. In Donetsk city, the SMM saw a gathering relating to the reported death of Aleksandr Zakharchenko and at least one hundred members of the armed formations securing the area. The SMM recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in the disengagement area as well as near Yasynuvata.* The SMM observed a weapon in violation of withdrawal lines near Ozarianivka. The Mission observed anti-tank mines near Popasna. The SMM saw that the entry-exit checkpoint near Stanytsia Luhanska was closed and observed that checkpoints in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region had been re-opened. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM’s observations were limited during the reporting period for security considerations.

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and the same number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. At 17:27 on 31 August, the Mission heard an undetermined explosion less than 200m north-north-east from its residence on Pushkina Boulevard in Donetsk city. A senior member of the armed formations told the SMM that in the explosion Aleksandr Zakharchenko had suffered fatal injuries, another member of the armed formations had been severely wounded and nine other people had sustained injuries. The Mission followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Verkhnotoretske. It saw a trench that had been recently fortified and Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers inside the Zolote disengagement area, and heard ceasefire violations near the Petrivske and the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, as well as near Luhanske and Shchastia.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Prychepylivka and Novoamvrosiivske. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable demining and repairs to water infrastructure in Luhansk region, at a gas distribution station in Krasnohorivka and the South Donbas water pipeline between Avdiivka and Yasynuvata. In Kyiv, the SMM followed up on reports of a protest outside the consulate of the Russian Federation on 30 August...