Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 17 July 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Hnutove and Marinka. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including in Novoazovsk, Bakhmut, Sentianivka and Debaltseve.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines. An SMM unmanned aerial vehicle spotted, for the first time, the presence of 43 anti-tank mines near Shchastia, about 30 anti-tank mines near Nyzhnie Lozove and about ten anti-tank mines near Svitlodarsk. The Mission continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the Mykhailivka-Shchastia Thermal Power Plant high-voltage power lines near Berdianka. It also facilitated and monitored repair works to the power line between Zolote-4 and Zolote-5. The SMM visited one border area under government control in Luhansk region. The Mission monitored a strike at a coal mine in Pryvillia. In Odessa city the SMM followed up on reports of an explosion at an apartment building.

In Donetsk region the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], including about 120 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours (about 550 explosions).

On the night of 16-17 July, while in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city centre, the SMM heard two undetermined explosions 8-10km west-north-west.

On the night of 16-17 July the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded one projectile in flight from west to east 4-5km east-south-east. The following day, positioned in Avdiivka for about five hours, the SMM heard 13 undetermined explosions and about 140 bursts and shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 1-4km east and east-south-east.

On 17 July, positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for about six hours, the SMM heard about 20 explosions (almost all undetermined) and about 50  bursts and shots of small-arms fire, all 1-5km at directions ranging from west to north-west.

On the night of 16-17 July, while in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk), within about 20 minutes the SMM heard seven undetermined explosions about 12km west, followed by one explosion assessed as an impact of a round of an undetermined weapon about 4km west. The following day, while in the same location, the SMM heard six undetermined explosions 8-10km south-south-west.

On the evening and night of 16-17 July, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard about 50 undetermined explosions and about 80 bursts and shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire 3-8km at directions ranging from east to south-west, and about ten undetermined explosions 4-6km north-east.

On the evening and night of 16-17 July the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, three tracer rounds in flight from west to east, three tracer rounds in flight from east to west, five tracer rounds in flight from west to east, one tracer round in flight from south to north, two undetermined explosions, followed by aggregated totals of nine undetermined explosions, two illumination flares in vertical flight, one rocket-assisted projectile in flight from west to east and 179 tracer rounds (96 from west to east and 83 from east to west), all at unknown distances north.

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including almost 190 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours (about 170 explosions).

On the evening and night of 16-17 July, while in government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk), in about two hours the SMM heard about 180 explosions assessed as 82mm and 120mm mortar rounds (about 150 and 30, respectively), about 110 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire and about 200 shots of small-arms fire, all 5-10km south-south-east.

The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties near government-controlled Hnutove (20km north-east of Mariupol) and government-controlled Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk).

At about 10:10 on 17 July, positioned about 2km south-west of government-controlled Pyshchevyk (25km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM heard a loud explosion about 1km south. When the SMM moved north towards government-controlled Pavlopil (26km north-east of Mariupol), a civilian approached and told it that a tractor owned by an agricultural company had just struck a mine in a field in Hnutove. The SMM then visited the site on the northern edge of Hnutove, where it saw a tractor burning in the field 600m east of the road between Pavlopil and Hnutove as well as Ukrainian Armed Forces, State Emergency Services, police, fire brigade, emergency medical service and demining personnel nearby assisting two injured men. The SMM spoke with a State Emergency Services employee (in his thirties), one of the two injured, who it saw had sustained burns to his arms and face. He said that when the explosion had occurred (at the abovementioned time) he had been on the tractor with a driver to assess whether the land was cultivatable. The SMM also saw the injured driver (in his forties), an employee of the agricultural company, in a stretcher. Ukrainian officers of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), who later arrived at the site, told the SMM that the explosion had been likely caused by an anti-tank mine. Later in the day, the SMM visited a hospital in Mariupol where medical staff told it that the injured driver had been admitted with shrapnel wounds to his right leg and burns and was undergoing an operation. At the Military Hospital in Mariupol medical staff told the SMM that the other injured man had been admitted with minor injuries and already released.

Following up on media reports that at a checkpoint on highway H-15 near Marinka a male resident of Donetsk city had sustained an injury caused by a bullet, the SMM spoke with a Ukrainian officer of the JCCC via telephone who confirmed the details of the media report. He told the SMM that the incident had occurred at about 19:00 on 16 July when the injured man (born in 1965) had been queuing at the said checkpoint to travel towards government-controlled areas. According to him, paramedics extracted the bullet and dressed the wound. The police in government-controlled Kurakhove (40km west of Donetsk) and staff at the abovementioned checkpoint both confirmed the details of the incident.

Near “LPR”-controlled Metalist (7km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM lost contact with its mini unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on 17 July. The SMM informed the JCCC and requested that it facilitate recovery.

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 the evening of 15 July, the SMM camera in government-controlled Zolote recorded, in sequence, two tracer rounds in flight from north-west to south-east, one projectile in flight from south to north, followed by aggregated totals of one undetermined explosion, 53 tracer rounds in flight (46 north-west to south-east, four west to east, one south to north, one north-east to south-west and one in vertical flight), seven projectiles in flight (three south to north, two north to south and two north-west to south-east) and nine bursts of possibly infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-2) cannon (30mm) fire, all 2-5km at directions ranging from east-north-east to east-south-east and assessed as outside the disengagement area.

On 17 July, the SMM noted a calm situation while present at the disengagement area south of government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM remained unable to access its camera in “DPR”-controlled Petrivske due to security considerations.

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 saw a tank (T-72) on a trailer being transported north in Luhansk city and a 82mm mortar facing south and installed behind the concrete blockade of a checkpoint near Olenivka (23km south-west of Donetsk). On 13 July an SMM mid-range UAV spotted one anti-tank gun (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) and one anti-tank guided missile system (9M113 Konkurs, 135mm) near Nova Marivka (64km south of Donetsk). On 15 July an SMM mid-range UAV spotted a towed howitzer (D-30, Lyagushka, 122mm) facing west 3km east of Sakhanka (97km south of Donetsk) and probably a 120mm mortar on the northern edge of the village.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles and an anti-aircraft gun [2] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw: on 16 July one stationary armoured personnel carrier (APC) (BTR-1) with cage armour on road T-0504 in Popasna and one stationary APC (BRDM-2) near Novozvanivka (70km west of Luhansk); and on 17 July an APC (BTR-80) moving north near Popasna. On 14 July an SMM mini UAV spotted four IFVs (two BMP-variants and two probable BMP-variants) and two APCs (MT-LB) near Shchastia.

In non-government-controlled areas, on 15 July an SMM mid-range UAV spotted an anti-aircraft gun (ZU23-2, 23mm) in the rear bed of a truck, two IFVs (BMP-1 and BMP-2) and three-five craters – probably caused by 120mm mortar rounds – 70-120m from an “LPR” checkpoint 3km south-west of Obozne (18km north of Luhansk).

On 14 July, an SMM mini UAV spotted, for the first time, the presence of 43 anti-tank mines (TM-62) in three rows laid across highway H-21 near a Ukrainian Armed Forces position south of government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk). On 15 July, an SMM mid-range UAV again spotted the same number of the mines at the same location.

On 17 July an SMM mini UAV spotted at least 17 anti-tank mines (TM-62) laid across road M03 about 2km west of non-government-controlled Nyzhnie Lozove (59km north-east of Donetsk). About 200m north-west of those mines, the same UAV spotted 12 anti-tank mines (TM-62) spread diagonally across the same road.

About 3km east of the south-eastern outskirts of Svitlodarsk, an SMM mini UAV spotted at least ten anti-tank mines (TM-62) laid across road M03.

The SMM continued to monitor the situation of civilians travelling across the contact line. On 16 July, the SMM visited a checkpoint near “DPR”-controlled Oleksandrivka (20km south-west of Donetsk) following up on reports that a woman had died on 14 July while on highway H-15 between a government-controlled checkpoint near Marinka and a checkpoint near the Kargil plant in “DPR”-controlled Kreminets (16km south-west of Donetsk). A “DPR” member at the Oleksandrivka checkpoint, which is located between the Marinka and Kargil checkpoints, told the SMM that a 67-year-old woman had become unconscious between 06:30 and 07:30 on 14 July while she had been in the car, with another passenger, 1.2km east of the Oleksandrivka checkpoint. He said that shortly afterwards paramedics had arrived at the site and noticed the woman was already dead. On 17 July, the SMM visited a morgue in Donetsk city whose logbook showed that the deceased woman had died of natural causes at the abovementioned location and had been transported to the morgue at about 11:15 on 14 July.

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs, co-ordinated by the JCCC, to the Mykhailivka-Shchastia Thermal Power Plant high-voltage power lines near Berdianka (45km west of Luhansk) where it saw a crane and ten workers present. (See SMM Daily Report 15 July 2017.) In “LPR”-controlled Zolote-5 (61km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM facilitated and monitored repair works to the power line between government-controlled Zolote-4 (60km north-west of Luhansk) and Zolote-5. (See SMM Daily Report 14 July 2017 and SMM Daily Report 15 July 2017.) A representative of a power supply company subsequently told the SMM via telephone that electricity had been restored to Zolote-4 and the northern part of Zolote-5 about 17:10 on 17 July.

The SMM visited one border area under government control. At the border crossing point in Milove (108km north-east of Luhansk), in about 70 minutes the SMM saw six cars (three with Ukrainian and three with Russian Federation licence plates) and five pedestrians in a queue to exit Ukraine. The SMM also saw five cars (four with Ukrainian and one with Russian Federation licence plates) and one pedestrian enter Ukraine.

In government-controlled Pryvillia (90km north-west of Luhansk), on 17 July the SMM observed a gathering of 120-150 people (both men and women, aged between 20 and 60) in front of a coal mine. A representative of the coal mine administration told the SMM that a strike organized by mine workers had started on 15 July when a group of about 75 miners had refused to leave the pit demanding unpaid salaries. He said that over the following days, about 55 miners had remained in the pit. During the SMM’s presence for one hour and a half, the Mission saw that the miners were still present in the pit and observed that the situation was calm.

In Odessa city, the SMM followed up on reports of an explosion at the ground floor of an apartment building located at 53/2 Dalnytska Street in the Malynovskyi district. The head of police in the Malynovskyi district told the SMM via telephone that a 15-year-old boy had been killed and two other teenage boys injured by the explosion caused by a hand-grenade (RGD-5). Later in the day, the SMM visited the incident site where it saw large amounts of blood and human hair on the floor and damage to walls inside a room. A police officer onsite told the SMM that a mother and her two sons (15 years old and teenage) lived in the apartment and that when the explosion had occurred the two sons and another boy (14 years old) had been present while the mother had been absent. He also said that it was likely that the explosion accidentally occurred when they had been handling the explosive device.

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, unexploded ordnance (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. The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations, including at the disengagement area near Petrivske.

Denial of access:

• At a checkpoint on road E-58 north of “DPR”-controlled Novoazovsk (40km east of Mariupol), armed men again prevented the SMM from crossing the checkpoint and proceeding south toward the town or east toward an area close to the border with the Russian Federation, citing orders from supervisors. (See SMM Daily Report 6 July 2017 and SMM Daily Report 13 July 2017.) The SMM informed the JCCC.
• While the SMM was positioned at the government-controlled Bakhmut (67km north of Donetsk) railway station, a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer demanded that it immediately leave the area. The Mission departed the railway station ten minutes later and informed the JCCC.
• Positioned 2km south of “LPR”-controlled Sentianivka (formerly Frunze, 44km west of Luhansk), the SMM was approached by an armed “LPR” member and advised not to visit an “LPR” checkpoint 2km north of Sentianivka for security reasons. The SMM, which had intended to visit the checkpoint, did not proceed further.

Related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• A Ukrainian officer of the JCCC told the SMM that no demining activities had taken place during the previous 24 hours in the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and that, with the exception of the main road, the SMM’s safety could not be guaranteed in the surrounding areas due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.
• Armed “LPR” members positioned on the southern side of the Zolote disengagement area (3km north of Pervomaisk) told the SMM that they could not guarantee the safety of the Mission on side roads due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.
• The SMM could not travel across the bridge in Shchastia as Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel said there were mines on the road south of the bridge. The SMM informed the JCCC.
• At a checkpoint on road M03 near “DPR”-controlled Debaltseve (58km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM was not able to travel towards government-controlled Svitlodarsk due to the presence of mines (see above). The SMM had requested the JCCC beforehand that it facilitate the passage of the checkpoint but the JCCC did not do so.

Delay:

• Armed “DPR” members at a checkpoint about 8km north of Horlivka delayed the SMM passage for 17 minutes. The SMM informed the JCCC.
• Armed “DPR” members at a checkpoint about 7km north of Horlivka delayed the SMM passage for 19 minutes. The SMM informed the JCCC.

Other impediments:

• “LPR” emergency medical service members positioned south of the bridge to Stanytsia Luhanska refused to answer the SMM’s enquiry about the situation. One of them told the SMM that they had been instructed by their superiors not to provide information to the SMM and that it should contact an “LPR” structure for that.

[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.