News and press releases

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Bullets flew over the heads of SMM patrol members in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. The SMM observed fresh damage caused by shelling to a functioning school in Sakhanka and houses in Zolote-1/Soniachnyi. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the disengagement area near Zolote. The SMM saw weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas of Donetsk region. The Mission monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable an inspection of and repair works to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. It was also restricted at a heavy weapons holding area in Donetsk region, at a compound in Samiilove, at a checkpoint near Novoazovsk and at a checkpoint in Popasna.

On the morning of 26 February, an SMM patrol consisting of six members and two armoured vehicles was positioned on the western edge of Zolote-5/Mykhailivka (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk), about 500m east of the eastern edge of the Zolote disengagement area. The patrol was monitoring the security situation in the area to enable repair works to water pipes in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. Three patrol members were standing next to the vehicles and the others were inside them. Six employees of the Luhansk Water Company were conducting the repair works about 100m west-north-west of the SMM’s position.

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.

• Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer ceasefire violations and Luhansk region. • The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the disengagement areas near Zolote and Petrivske. • The SMM saw weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. • The Mission monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable an inspection of and repair works to essential civilian infrastructure in Luhansk region. • Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. The SMM was also restricted in non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske and Staromykhailivka, at a permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region, as well as in government-controlled Taramchuk.*

Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 22 and 23 February, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Compared with the previous 24 hours, between the evenings of 23 and 24 February, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Two persons were killed and one person was injured in a mine explosion near a checkpoint close to the contact line in Donetsk region. The Mission saw fresh damage caused by shelling in Oleksandrivka. It saw weapons in violation on both sides of the contact line. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. It was also restricted near Zaichenko, Petrivske and Verkhnoshyrokivske, at a heavy weapons holding area in a government-controlled area of Luhansk region, at a permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region as well as near Izvaryne and Sievernyi, areas near the border with the Russian Federation.

At around 12:40 on 23 February, while moving south past the forward position of the armed formations along the contact line on road H-20 near Olenivka (non-government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk), about 200m south of the above-mentioned position of the armed formations, the SMM saw the burning wreckage of an overturned minivan on the soft ground of a median strip between the road lanes. Within a radius of 15m of the wreckage, the Mission saw debris from the vehicle scattered around, including three tyres and two doors, all scorched. The SMM saw a fresh crater in the median strip about 3m from the wreckage as well as three mine hazard signs: one lying on the ground less than 10m from the crater and the other two attached to a post and a barrier nearby. The SMM assessed that the vehicle had detonated an explosive device (probably an anti-tank mine) in the median strip.

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. The Mission saw fresh damage caused by shelling in a residential area of non-government-controlled Holmivskyi. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside and near the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission saw multiple launch rocket systems in violation of the withdrawal lines in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region. Its long-range unmanned aerial vehicle spotted four military jet aircrafts flying over government-controlled Lastochkyne, near the contact line. The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure in Luhansk region and demining activities in Donetsk region. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas as well as at a checkpoint near non-government-controlled Styla.