Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 16 July 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM heard explosions (assessed as outgoing mortar rounds) and small-arms fire about 100m from its position in a residential area of non-government-controlled Dokuchaievsk. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; its access remained restricted in all three areas.* It was again restricted in areas of Donetsk region outside government control near Zaichenko and Bezimenne, as well as in Voznesenivka, an area of Luhansk region close to the border with the Russian Federation.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to critical civilian infrastructure near Artema, Novotoshkivske, Zolote-5/Mykhailivka, as well as in Zalizne and Horlivka. In Odessa, the SMM followed up on reports of an attack against journalists.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations[1], including about 70 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 20 explosions).

During the day of 16 July, positioned on Tsentralna Street, in a residential area of Dokuchaievsk (non-government-controlled, 30km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM heard five explosions, assessed as outgoing mortar rounds, and 40 bursts of small-arms and heavy-machine-gun fire about 100m west. Thereafter, the SMM saw that about ten people, whom the SMM had previously seen walking along the same street, had begun running to seek shelter in nearby buildings. Later during the day, positioned about 4km east of Dokuchaievsk, the SMM heard and saw uncountable undetermined explosions 3-7km south-west and west, as well as two columns of white and black smoke, respectively, emanating from areas in and near Dokuchaievsk. Positioned about 3km south-east of Dokuchaievsk, the SMM heard 17 undetermined explosions 5-7km south-west and west. At the same location, the SMM heard and saw an airburst and an undetermined explosion 3-7km south-south-west and it heard three bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire 5km west.

On the evening and night of 15-16 July, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, a projectile and a flare in flight from west to east and six projectiles from north-north-west to south-south-east, followed by a total of 35 projectiles (12 in vertical flight, eight from east to west, 11 from north-west to south-east and four from north-north-west to south-south-east) and one undetermined explosion, all 0.7-5km south.

On the evening and night of 15-16 July, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, six illumination flares in vertical flight and a projectile in flight from west to east, followed by a total of ten undetermined explosions, 61 projectiles (seven from north to south, 17 from east to west, one from south to north, two from west-north-west to east-north-east and 34 from west to east), five illumination flares in vertical flight, a muzzle flash and a burst, all 2-5km north.

On the evening and night of 15-16 July, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, 18 projectiles in flight from east to west, two projectiles from west to east and 11 projectiles from east to west, all 4-9km south.

During the day on 16 July, positioned about 1km north-west of the railway station in Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard and saw three undetermined explosions 2-4km south-west and west-south-west, and heard four undetermined explosions 2-4km south-west and north-north-west, as well as 23 bursts and shots of small-arms and heavy-machine-gun fire, all 1-3km south-west and west-south-west.

During the day on 16 July, positioned on the south-eastern outskirts of Avdiivka (government-controlled, 17km north of Donetsk), the SMM heard 22 undetermined explosions and 24 shots of small-arms fire, all 1-4km at directions ranging from north-east to south.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including a similar number of explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (two explosions).

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)[2], 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 and night of 15-16 July, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded, in sequence, eight bursts and two undetermined explosions all 3.5-7km south-east, south-south-east and south (all assessed as outside the disengagement area).

During the day on 16 July, positioned in and near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM observed a calm situation.

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

In violation of withdrawal lines, in government-controlled areas, on 14 July, an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted two self-propelled howitzers (2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm) near Keramik (28km north-west of Donetsk). On 15 July, an SMM mini-UAV spotted two self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) near Putylyne (44km north-west of Luhansk).

In non-government-controlled areas, on 14 July, an SMM long-range UAV spotted three tanks (one T-64 and two possible T-64) in a residential area of Verkhnoshyrokivske (85km south of Donetsk) and 12 tanks (type undetermined) about 2km north of Svobodne (73km south of Donetsk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites in a non-government-controlled area, on 14 July, an SMM long-range UAV spotted four tanks (possible T-72) west of Markyne (94km south of Donetsk).

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles[3] and other indications of military-type presence in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, on 14 July, an SMM long-range UAV spotted four infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) (one BMP-2 and three BMP variants) near Novohryhorivka (55km south of Donetsk), an IFV (BMP-2) near Bohdanivka (41km south-west of Donetsk), an IFV (BMP-2) and an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (MT-LB) in Taramchuk (29km south-west of Donetsk), two IFVs (BMP variants) near Slavne (26km south-west of Donetsk), an APC (BTR variant) in Krasnohorivka (21km west of Donetsk). On 14 July, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted four IFVs (two BMP-1 and two BMP-2) near Nelipivka (40km north-east of Donetsk). On the same day, an SMM mini-UAV spotted an IFV (BMP-2) near Hranitne (60km south of Donetsk). On 16 July, the SMM saw an APC (BTR variant) near Zolote-2/Karbonit (62km west of Luhansk), an IFV (BMP variant) and a newly dug trench in Zolote-4/Rodina (59km west of Luhansk), an APC (MB-LB) in Trokhizbenka (32km north-west of Luhansk), as well as seven APCs (BTR-80) near Popasna (69km west of Luhansk).

In non-government-controlled areas, on 14 July, an SMM long-range UAV spotted three APCs (two BTR-80 and an MT-LB) and four IFVs (BMP-1) in Bezimenne (non-government-controlled, 30km east of Mariupol), six IFVs (BMP-2) in Khreshchatytske (86km south of Donetsk), a probable TORN radio intelligence system in a residential area of Maiorove (formerly Krasnyi Oktiabr, 57km south-east of Donetsk) (see SMM Daily Report of 9 June 2018) and an APC (BTR-80) near Styla (34km south of Donetsk).

The SMM observed the presence of mines and mine hazard signs. An SMM mid-range UAV again spotted at least 300 anti-tank mines laid in two rows near Nelipivka (see SMM Daily Report of 29 June 2018). On the side of a road leading from Solodke (government-controlled, 33km south-west of Donetsk) to Olhynka (government-controlled, 40km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM saw for the first time a rectangular mine hazard sign (with “No entry, demining activities” written in Ukrainian).

The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the DFS, including through monitoring adherence to the ceasefire. Positioned in areas near the DFS, the SMM heard ceasefire violations, despite explicit security guarantees (see above and table below for details).

The SMM also continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to the phenol sludge reservoir near Zalizne (formerly Artemove, government-controlled, 42km north-east of Donetsk), to a pumping station near Artema (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk) and water pipelines near Novotoshkivske (government-controlled, 53km west of Luhansk), Zolote-5/Mykhailivka (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk) and in Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk).

The SMM visited a border area outside government control. While at a border crossing point near Voznesenivka (formerly Chervonopartyzansk, 65km south-east of Luhansk) for about 20 minutes, the SMM saw 41 cars (one with Georgian, 21 with Ukrainian and 16 with Russian Federation licence plates, and three with “LPR” plates) in a queue to exit Ukraine. The SMM saw eight cars with Ukrainian licence plates and six pedestrians (five women and a man) entering Ukraine and eight cars with Ukrainian licence plates and nine pedestrians (all women) exiting Ukraine. A member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.*

In Odessa, the SMM followed up on reports of an attack against journalists. On 16 July, a journalist from the online media outlet Nerozkryti zlochyny (“Unsolved Crime”) told the SMM that, while he had been at the intersection between Hoholia Street and Nekrasova Lane, two people, who he identified as members of the Municipal Guards, had approached him and sprayed pepper spray on his and another journalist’s face; they also beat the latter. Police told the SMM by phone that in the aforementioned incident three people had been injured, while two members of the Municipal Guards had been charged under article 296 of the Criminal Code (hooliganism).

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, 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 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 (see below). The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remain restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April 2017 near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations.

Denial of access:

• At a checkpoint north of Zaichenko (nongovernment-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol), two armed members of the armed formations stopped the SMM and again denied it passage westward to Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol), and southward to Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol), citing security reasons (for example, see SMM Daily Report of 14 July 2018 and SMM Daily Report of 16 July 2018).
• At a checkpoint on road E58 north-west of Bezimenne, armed members of the armed formations stopped again the SMM and denied it passage, citing orders from superiors not to let the SMM through the checkpoint. (See SMM Daily Report of 14 July 2018 and SMM Daily Report of 16 July 2018.)
• At a border crossing point near Voznesenivka, a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area. 

Regular restrictions related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• 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 by phone that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.[4]
• 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 told the SMM by phone that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.
• The SMM was prevented from accessing secondary roads south of the Zolote disengagement area due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A member of the armed formations 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.
• At an armed formations checkpoint south of the bridge near Shchastia (governmentcontrolled, 20km north of Luhansk), a member of the armed formations told the SMM that he had no information about demining activities in the area. Due to the possible presence of mines, the SMM did not consider it safe to proceed.

Delay:

• A member of the armed formations initially again denied the SMM access to the Molochny settlement of Lozove (nongovernment-controlled, 52km north-east of Donetsk); he allowed the SMM through after 30 minutes (see SMM Daily Report of 14 July 2018).

Other impediments:

• In Oleksandrivka (nongovernment-controlled, 63km south-east of Luhansk), a woman who introduced herself as a community representative said that she could not provide information to the SMM without the permission of senior members of the armed formations.

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

[2] Due to presence of mines, including those on a road between Bohdanivka and Petrivske, the SMM’s access to its camera in Petrivske remained limited; therefore, the review of the camera footage may take place days later.

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

[4] The SMM informed Ukrainian Armed Forces officers of the JCCC. Russian Federation Armed Forces officers of the JCCC have withdrawn from the JCCC as of 18 December 2017.