Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 10 December 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

Summary

• Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region.
• The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area.
• SMM unmanned aerial vehicles spotted destroyed houses in the south-eastern part of Pivdenne in Donetsk region and fresh craters in residential areas of Zolote-4/Rodina and Zolote-5/Mykhailivka, in Luhansk region
• The SMM saw a weapon in violation of withdrawal lines in Oleksandro-Kalynove.
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to water and electric infrastructure on both sides of the contact line and to damaged houses in Marinka. It continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station.
• Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. The SMM was also restricted near Siedove and Dovzhanske – close to the border with the Russian Federation – and near Popasne.*

Ceasefire violations[1]

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including about 400 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours (about 250 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded in areas south-east and south-west of Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), including about 300 explosions, in the Avdiivka-Yasynuvata-Donetsk airport area and in areas east and south-east of Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol).

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including one explosion, compared with the previous 24 hours (about 470 explosions).

Disengagement areas[2]

On the afternoon of 10 December, the SMM camera in Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) recorded two projectiles in flight at an assessed range of 2-4km south-east, assessed as inside the disengagement area.

Positioned inside the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk) and close to the disengagement area near Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), the SMM observed a calm situation.[3]

Destroyed houses in Pivdenne

On 9 December, an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted at least eight destroyed houses (no roofs, only outer walls remaining) located on a 150m stretch of a street in the Chyhari area of Pivdenne (formerly Leninske, government-controlled, 40km north-east of Donetsk). The UAV also spotted 12 houses on the southern end of the above-mentioned street and two houses about 250m east destroyed in a similar fashion. The SMM assessed the damage as caused by artillery rounds, however it could not assess the direction of fire. All of the above-mentioned damage was not seen in imagery from 28 April 2018. (For previous observations, see SMM Daily Report 16 August 2018.)

Fresh impact craters

On 9 December, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted seven new craters in the ground and two holes in the roofs of two houses, all assessed as caused by 82mm mortar rounds (the SMM could not assess the direction of fire), on the eastern edge of Zolote-4/Rodina (government-controlled, 59km west of Luhansk). In a field on the north-western edge of Zolote-5/Mykhailivka (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk), the UAV spotted six new craters assessed as caused by 120mm mortar rounds (the Mission could not assess the direction of fire) and a crater assessed as caused by a 122mm artillery round fired from a northerly direction. In a field south of the Vilnyi neighbourhood of Zolote-4/Rodina, the same UAV spotted 14 new craters assessed as caused by 82mm and 120mm mortar rounds (the SMM could not assess the direction of fire). All of the above-mentioned damage was not seen in imagery from 23 November 2018.

Withdrawal of weapons

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 the withdrawal lines

Government-controlled areas

9 December

An SMM long-range UAV spotted:

• an anti-tank gun (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) in Oleksandro-Kalynove (47km north of Donetsk).

Beyond the withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites

Government-controlled areas

10 December

• Three surface-to-air-missile systems (9K33 Osa) in the yard of a non-functional school in Pobieda (55km north of Luhansk)

Permanent storages sites beyond the respective withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region

10 December

• 23 tanks (nine T-64 and 14 T-72), nine mortars (2B14 Podnos, 82mm) and 15 anti-tank guns (MT-12) remained missing. Two tanks (T-72) were missing for the first time.

Weapons that the SMM was unable to verify as withdrawn[4]

Weapons storage sites beyond the respective withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region

10 December

• Seven towed howitzers (2A65 Msta-B, 152mm) and nine self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) were missing, including five self-propelled howitzers (2S1) missing for the first time.

Indications of military and military-type presence in the security zone[5]

Government-controlled areas

9 December

An SMM mid-range UAV spotted:

• an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) near Orikhove (57km north-west of Luhansk).

10 December

• An armoured personnel carrier (APC) (BTR variant) and two armoured combat vehicles in Malynove (19km north-east of Luhansk)
• An armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) in Zolote
• An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1) near Zolote
• An IFV (BMP-1) near Heorhiievka (27km south-west of Donetsk)
• Three IFVs (BMP-2) in Svitlodarsk
• Four APCs (MT-LB) in Klynove (68km north-east of Donetsk)

Non-government-controlled areas

9 December

An SMM mini-UAV spotted:

• 17 IFVs (BMP-1) near Kruhlyk (65km south-west of Luhansk)

10 December

• An APC (BTR-80) in Starolaspa (51km south of Donetsk)

SMM facilitation of repairs to civilian infrastructure

The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to the Petrivske water pumping station near Artema (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk), to water pipelines near Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk), to power lines in Zolote-4/Rodina, as well as to damaged houses in Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk). The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk).

In Luhansk region, the Mission facilitated and monitored a transfer of funds from non-government to government-controlled areas across the bridge in Shchastia (government-controlled, 20km north of Luhansk), reportedly in relation to a water payment.

Mine hazard signs

The SMM saw for the first time at least eight mine hazard signs (red background with a skull and crossbones and “Stop Mine” written in Russian and “Danger Mine” written in English) along the western side of a road in the southern outskirts of Hirske (government-controlled, 63km west of Luhansk). The Mission also saw a white-and-red vehicle parked on the side of the road and eight representatives of the State Emergency Services areas next to it.

The SMM saw for the first time at least ten mine hazard signs (red background with a skull and crossbones and “Stop Mines” written in Cyrillic) on the southern edge of Malynove.

Border areas not under government control

At a border crossing point near Dovzhanske (84km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw seven cars (four with Ukrainian and two with Russian Federation licence plates and one with “DPR” plates), three buses and four covered cargo trucks (all with Ukrainian licence plates) exiting Ukraine. After about 50 minutes, a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.*

While at a border crossing point near Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk) for about 30 minutes, the SMM saw nine cars (five with Ukrainian and two with Russian Federation license plates, and two with “DPR” plates), a bus with Russian Federation licence plates and ten passengers on board and a covered cargo truck with Ukrainian licence plates exiting Ukraine.

While at a border crossing point near Novoazovsk (40km east of Mariupol) for about ten minutes, the SMM saw two cars and a covered cargo truck entering Ukraine and three cars exiting Ukraine.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, 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 (for example, 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 near Popasne (government-controlled, 60km north-west of Luhansk), Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel denied the SMM access to the settlement.
• At a border crossing point near Dovzhanske, a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.
• At a checkpoint near Siedove (non-government-controlled, 33km north-east of Mariupol), near the border with the Russian Federation, two armed members of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage, citing “a special operation in the area.”

Regular restrictions related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

The sides continued to deny the SMM full access to the three disengagement areas, as well as the ability to travel certain roads previously identified as important for effective monitoring by the Mission and for civilians’ movement, through failure to conduct comprehensive clearance of mines and UXO.

[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. During the reporting period, the SMM cameras in Hranitne and Krasnohorivka were not operational.

[2] Disengagement is foreseen in the Framework Decision of the Trilateral Contact Group relating to disengagement of forces and hardware of 21 September 2016.

[3] Due to the presence of mines, including a road between Bohdanivka and Petrivske, the SMM’s access to its camera in Petrivske remains limited, and thus the SMM has not been able to access observations from the camera since 22 June 2018.

[4] The SMM visited areas previously holding weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage did not comply with the criteria set out in the 16 October 2015 notification from the SMM to the signatories of the Package of Measures on effective monitoring and verification of the withdrawal of heavy weapons. The SMM noted that one such site continued to be abandoned.

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