Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 26 December 2017

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and a similar number in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle spotted new mines inside and near the Petrivske disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere. The Mission observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines near Mariupol. The SMM visited two border areas outside government control. In Dnipro, the SMM followed up on reports of an explosion of an improvised explosive device which injured a woman.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations[1], including about 60 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours (14 explosions).

On the evening and night of 25-26 December, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, an undetermined explosion, two tracer rounds and three projectiles in flight from east to west, two undetermined explosions and an airburst, all 1-3km south. During the day on 26 December, the camera recorded two projectiles in flight from east to west and an illumination flare in vertical flight 1-3km south.

On the evening and night of 25-26 December, the SMM camera 1km south-west of Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, eight projectiles in flight from east to west and a projectile from west to east, followed by an undetermined explosion and a total of 36 projectiles (33 from east to west and three from west to east), all 5-8km north.

During the day on 26 December, while in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard about 40 undetermined explosions and about 100 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 3-5km south-east and south-west.

Positioned at the railway station in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk) for about six hours, the SMM heard four undetermined explosions and 12 shots and bursts of small-arms and heavy-machine-gun fire, all 1-4km at directions ranging from west to north-east.

Positioned in “DPR”-controlled Oleksandrivka (20km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM heard four undetermined explosions 2-5km north and north-north-west.

Positioned on the southern edge of non-government-controlled Debaltseve (58km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard four undetermined explosions 6-8km north-west.            

In Luhansk region, the SMM again recorded a single explosion as it did during the previous 24 hours.

During the day on 26 December, positioned in “LPR”-controlled Berezivske (53km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard an undetermined explosion 5-12km north-west.

The SMM continued to monitor the disengagement process and to pursue full access to the disengagement areas near 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 26 December, positioned in and around all three disengagement areas, the SMM observed a calm situation.

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

In violation of the withdrawal lines, in a government-controlled area, an SMM mini unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted, on 22 December, a stationary surface-to-air missile system (9K35 Strela-10) on the eastern edge of Mariupol.

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites, the SMM saw three stationary surface-to-air missile systems (9K33 Osa) on road T1302 about 3km east of Spirne (96km north of Donetsk).

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles, anti-aircraft guns[2] and other indications of military presence in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw three infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) (BMP-1) and two armoured reconnaissance vehicles (one BRDM-2 and one BRM-1K) in Popasna (69km west of Luhansk). An SMM mini-UAV spotted, on 22 December, two anti-aircraft guns (ZU-23, 23mm) on the eastern edge of Mariupol, as well as three IFVs (BMP-2), an armoured ambulance (MT-LB S) and trenches near Hranitne (60km south of Donetsk). In an area outside of government-control, the SMM saw three stationary IFVs (BMP-1) near Khoroshe (36km west of Luhansk).

The SMM continued to observe the presence of mines. On 22 December, an SMM mini-UAV spotted about 110 anti-tank mines (TM-62) on the north-eastern edge of the Petrivske disengagement area (in rows extending both inside and outside the disengagement area) for the first time. The same UAV also spotted again 86 anti-tank mines (TM-62), of which 26 mines were laid in a row across the road between “DPR”-controlled Viktorivka (42km south-west of Donetsk) and Bohdanivka (60km south-east of Donetsk) while the remainder extended beyond the road on both sides into the Petrivske disengagement area. (See SMM Daily Report 11 November 2017.)   

The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. During a one-hour-visit at the border crossing point near Izvaryne (52km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw 12 cars (two with “LPR” plates), four covered cargo trucks and 53 pedestrians (32 women and 21 men aged 40-60) exiting Ukraine. The SMM saw 15 cars (one with plates marked “South Ossetia”), two covered cargo trucks (one with “LPR” plates) and 64 pedestrians (36 men and 28 women aged 40-60 as well as four children aged 3-8) entering Ukraine.

During one half-hour visit at the border crossing point near Verkhnoharasymivka (57km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw 13 pedestrians (five women and eight men aged 35-60) exiting Ukraine and three pedestrians (one woman and two men aged 30-40) entering Ukraine. 

In Dnipro, the SMM followed up on reports about the explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) which injured a woman. On 26 December, police in Dnipro told the SMM that a 32-year-old police woman had sustained shrapnel injuries at about 05:30 on 24 December due to the explosion of an IED. Police added that the IED had been placed under the door of the woman’s apartment in Dnipro; the investigation into the incident was ongoing. Medical staff at hospital no. 2 in Dnipro told the SMM that the woman had been admitted at 06:30 on 24 December with shrapnel wounds and that she was being treated in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, 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 Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) should contribute to such response and co-ordinate mine clearance. Nonetheless, the armed formations in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions frequently deny the SMM access to areas adjacent to Ukraine’s border outside control of the Government, citing orders to do so. (See, for example, SMM Daily Report 2 December 2017.) The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remain restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations.

Denial of access:

Related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• On 26 December, the SMM was prevented from accessing secondary roads south of the Zolote disengagement area due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. An “LPR” member positioned on the southern side of the Zolote disengagement area told the SMM that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed.
• On 26 December, the SMM was prevented from accessing secondary roads in the Zolote disengagement area due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC at a checkpoint on the northern side of the Zolote disengagement area told the SMM that he had no information regarding de-mining in the area during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.[3]
• On 26 December, the SMM was prevented from accessing parts of the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, with the exception of the main road, due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that no de-mining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.
• On 26 December, the SMM could not travel across the bridge in government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk) due to the presence of mines. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC said there were mines on the road south of the bridge. The SMM informed the JCCC.

Other impediments:

• An SMM interlocutor (a man aged 55) in “LPR”-controlled Darino-Iermakivka (77km south of Luhansk) refused to speak to the SMM, citing instructions from “LPR” members.

[1] For a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table. Four SMM cameras continue to be tested until the end of December 2017.

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

[3] Russian Federation Armed Forces officers of the JCCC have withdrawn from the territory of Ukraine as of 18 December.