Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 28 April 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the incident of 23 April near Pryshyb, which limits its observations, including of ceasefire violations. An explosion and small-arms fire occurred close to the SMM near Molodizhne and Kruta Hora. The Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Yasynuvata. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access there and elsewhere remained restricted.* The Mission continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons. The SMM observed for the first time the presence of a mine hazard sign inside the security zone near Popasne. The SMM monitored the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints. The SMM monitored a border area currently not under government control. The SMM monitored a protest outside the Russian Federation Consulate in Odessa.

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations[1], including about 430 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (400 explosions).

On the evening of 27 April the SMM camera at the “DPR”-controlled Oktiabr mine (9km north-west of Donetsk city centre) recorded five undetermined explosions 6-8km north-east.

On the night of 27-28 April the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded a total of 18 projectiles in flight, 20 tracer rounds, two airbursts, 12 explosions, including one assessed as impact, and two illumination flares (in sequence, one projectile in flight north to south, two airbursts, one projectile north to south, two south to north, ten tracer rounds south to north, two projectiles south to north, two north to south, one south  to north, one explosion assessed as impact, four projectiles in flight north to south, one north-west to south-east, one illumination flare in vertical flight, five tracer rounds in flight north to south, one projectile north-east to south-west, one north to south, one west to east, one illumination flare north to south, five tracer rounds north-west to south-east, eleven undetermined explosions), all 3-6km east-south-east and south-south-east of the camera. On 28 April, while in Avdiivka, the SMM heard seven undetermined explosions 3-6km north-east, 182 undetermined explosions and about 130 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire 2-4km east-south-east, heard and saw two explosions assessed as impacts 1km south-east, and heard one undetermined explosion 4-6km south-south-east. 

On 28 April, positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard six undetermined explosions 2-3km west. 

On the evening of 27 April, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), in about four hours, the SMM heard 57 explosions, including one assessed as an impact and 40 as outgoing artillery (122mm) rounds, about 150 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, about 30 bursts of infantry-fighting-vehicle (IFV) (BMP-2) cannon (30mm) and 100 shots of small-arms fire, all 2-6km south-south-east and south-east, and six explosions assessed as impacts 1-2km south-east. The SMM was in communication with the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The ceasefire violations stopped at about 1:10 on 28 April. The following day, the SMM heard 19 explosions and 33 bursts of small-arms fire, all 3-5km south-south-east and south-east.   

On the evening and night of 27-28 April, the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded a total of about 670 tracer rounds, nine explosions, 35 bursts, and two rocket-assisted projectiles (in sequence, about 200 tracer rounds in flight west to east, nine east to west, 225 west to east, ten east to west, 139 west to east, 14 east to west, 23 east to west, 12 from south-east to north-west, one from south-west to north-east, one undetermined explosion, one tracer round in flight from south-west to north-east, four undetermined explosions, 25 tracer rounds from south-west to north-east, one undetermined explosion, two rocket-assisted projectiles in flight from north to south, three undetermined explosions, 11 tracer rounds in flight from west to east, one rocket-assisted projectile east to west, nine tracer rounds west to east, 26 south-east to north-west), all at an unknown distance north-north-east and north.

On the evening of 27 April, while in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north of Donetsk), the SMM heard about 80 explosions, including 22 assessed as outgoing mortar (82mm) rounds 3-7km south-south-west, one explosion assessed as an impact and 15 bursts of anti-aircraft cannon (ZU-23, 23mm) 2-4km south-south-west, four undetermined explosions, two illumination flares in vertical flight, heard and saw a projectile of an unknown weapon hitting a building, which consequently caught fire 7-10km south-south-west. The SMM also saw a building burning 5-6km south-west.

On 28 April, positioned about 1-2km south-west of government-controlled Pyshchevyk (25km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM heard six undetermined explosions, three shots and bursts of small-arms fire at an unknown distance south-south-east, and one burst and five undetermined explosions at an unknown distance east.

On 28 April, positioned 1.5km east-south-east of government-controlled Lomakyne (15km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM heard five undetermined explosions at an unknown distance east and uncountable overlapping explosions at an unknown distance north. 

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including 52 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (25 explosions).

On 28 April, positioned about 1km north-west of “LPR”-controlled Kruta Hora (16km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard a shot of small-arms fire 40-50m south (See SMM Spot report 28 April 2017).

Positioned in “LPR”-controlled Pervomaisk (58km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 15 undetermined explosions 5-10km north (assessed as outside the Zolote disengagement area). 

Positioned in government-controlled Chabanivka (66km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard five undetermined explosions 15km east, assessed as live-fire exercise.

Positioned about 1.5km south-west of “LPR”-controlled Molodizhne (63km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard an explosion assessed as an airburst about 50-100m north-west (See SMM Spot report 28 April 2017). 

The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian casualty. On 28 April, at a hospital in Yasynuvata, medical staff told the SMM that a 16-year-old boy, a resident of Yasynuvata (2/19 Vatutina Street) was admitted to the hospital at 13:15 on 27 April with injuries to his left hand, left eye and shrapnel wounds on his lower leg. As a consequence of the wounds, medical staff added, the left hand had to be amputated and said that the boy had found a device which had exploded after he had picked it up. Medical staff also told the SMM that on the same day, after receiving initial medical assistance at the Yasynuvata Hospital, the boy had been transferred to Donetsk Regional Trauma Hospital.

The SMM continued to monitor the disengagement process and to pursue full access to the disengagement areas of Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk), Zolote (60km west of Luhansk) and Petrivske (41km south of Donetsk), as foreseen in the Framework Decision of the Trilateral Contact Group relating to disengagement of forces and hardware of 21 September 2016. The SMM’s access remained restricted but the Mission was able to partially monitor them.*

On 28 April, positioned in the government-controlled part of Zolote, the SMM heard 14 undetermined explosions 5-8km south-east, assessed as outside the disengagement area. Positioned in the “LPR”-controlled part of Zolote the SMM heard 15 undetermined explosions 5-10km north-north-east, assessed as outside the disengagement area. 

The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons, in implementation of the Memorandum, the Package of Measures and its Addendum.

In violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas, the SMM continued to observe seven multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) (BM-21 Grad, 122mm), seven self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm), ten towed howitzers (five D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm; and five 2A65 Msta-B, 152mm), and seven tanks (T-72) at an aerodrome in the south-eastern outskirts of Luhansk city.

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites, the SMM saw, in non-government-controlled areas: three tanks (undetermined type) in a training area near Uspenka (23km south-west of Luhansk); three tanks (type undetermined) and about 100 men in military-style clothing conducting live-fire exercises with small arms in a training area near Myrne (28km south-west of Luhansk). At the same location, the SMM heard one explosion, assessed as an outgoing round of IFV (BMP-1) cannon.

The SMM observed weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage does not comply with the criteria set in the 16 October 2015 notification.

In government-controlled areas, the SMM observed ten towed howitzer (2A65 Msta-B, 152mm), including one observed as present for the first time. The SMM observed that the following weapons continue to be absent: 16 towed howitzer (2A65 Msta-B, 152mm), of which three observed missing for the first time; four mortars (2B9 Vasilek, 82 mm) and six anti-tank guns (2A29/MT-12, Rapira, 100mm). The SMM observed as missing for the first time 12 MLRSs (BM-27 Uragan, 220mm).     

The SMM revisited an “LPR” permanent storage site, whose location corresponded with the respective withdrawal lines, and continued to note that six towed howitzers (D-30) were missing.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles[2] in the security zone. In non-government-controlled areas the SMM saw one IFV (BMP-2) moving west and one IFV (BMP-2) moving east near Zolote; seven IFVs (BMP-2) and 12 armoured personnel carriers (ten MT-LB and seven BTR-variant) at an aerodrome in the south-eastern outskirts of Luhansk city.

The SMM also saw three fresh tracks on the road, assessed as produced by armoured vehicles with T-64-type tracked chassis near “DPR”-controlled Pervomaiske (38km north-east of Mariupol). The SMM could not determine the direction in which the tracked vehicles were heading.

The SMM observed the presence of mine hazard sign. The SMM saw for the first time a new mine hazard sign (a red triangular metal board with the word “mines” written in English) on top of a 0.5–metre-tall wooden stick near government-controlled Popasne (60km north-west of Luhansk).

The SMM monitored the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints. On 27 April, at 16:00 at a Ukrainian armed forces checkpoint north of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the SMM saw about 1,000 people queuing to travel towards non-government-controlled areas and 100 queuing in the opposite direction. On 28 April, positioned at the same checkpoint at 9:30, the SMM saw approximately 800 people queuing to travel towards non-government-controlled areas and approximately 700 in the opposite direction. At 13:50, the SMM saw about 600 people queuing to travel towards non-government-controlled areas and about 500 people in the opposite direction.

The SMM monitored a border area currently not under government control. On 28 April, at the border crossing point Izvaryne (52km south-east of Luhansk), in about one and a half hours, the SMM observed three civilian vehicles and 20 pedestrians exiting Ukraine. The SMM saw 67 civilian cars (52 with Ukrainian licence plates, 15 with Russian Federation licence plates, two with Georgian licence plates, and one with Latvian licence plates) and two buses with Ukrainian licence plates (with a sign “Moscow-Luhansk”) with 40-50 passengers on board, and two covered trucks (one with Ukrainian licence plates and one with Belarusian licence plates) queuing to exit Ukraine.

The SMM monitored a protest outside the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Odessa. The SMM saw approximately 40 protestors (men 20-50 years old) carrying flags and symbols of Auto-Maidan movement and State Initiative of Yarosh (DIYA). The SMM saw ten National Guard officers and two police patrol cars parked nearby, each with four officers on board. The protest briefly turned violent after a male passer-by (30 years old) inside his vehicle made a rude gesture to the protestors while they were singing the Ukrainian national anthem. A few minutes later, the SMM saw a group of demonstrators beating the passer-by until the National Guard officers and police intervened. The protest ended without further incidents.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi and Kyiv.

*Restrictions of SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to fulfilment of its mandate

The SMM’s monitoring and freedom of movement are restricted by security hazards and threats, including risks posed by mines, UXO and other impediments – which vary from day to day. The SMM’s mandate provides for safe and secure access throughout Ukraine. All signatories of the Package of Measures have agreed on the need for this safe and secure access, that restriction of the SMM’s freedom of movement constitutes a violation, and on the need for rapid response to these violations. They have also agreed that the JCCC should contribute to such response and co-ordinate mine clearance.

Denial of access:

• At the edge of the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, a Ukrainian officer of the JCCC told the SMM that its safety still could not be guaranteed in the areas surrounding the main road due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. The SMM informed the JCCC.
• At an “LPR” checkpoint on the edge of the Zolote disengagement area, armed men told the SMM that its safety still could not be guaranteed in the fields and side roads due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. The SMM informed the JCCC.
• At a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint north of the bridge in government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk), Ukrainian Armed Forces officers told the SMM that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours and that the road south of the bridge was still mined. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.
• The SMM could not travel west from “DPR”-controlled Petrivske through the disengagement area due to a lack of security guarantees and the possible presence of mines. The SMM informed the JCCC.
• On 28 April, on a road 2.3km north-west of “DPR”-controlled Sidove (106km south of Donetsk) a man wearing non-military-style clothes told the SMM that it could not travel towards the village because it was entering a “border area”. Seven “DPR” members, five of whom were armed, were also present at the same location. The SMM informed the JCCC. 

[1]  Please see the annexed table for complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations as well as map of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions marked with locations featured in this report.

[2] This hardware is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.