Spot Report by OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM): Outgoing fire close to SMM near Donetsk Filtration Station

This report is for the media and the general public.

On the morning of 15 May, an SMM patrol consisting of five members and two armoured vehicles was positioned on road H20 about 2km south-east of Kamianka (government-controlled, 20km north of Donetsk) and about 3.5km north-west of the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) to monitor the security situation. A Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination was also present. Members of the Ukraine State Emergency Service de-mining team were present about 50m south of the SMM patrol’s location.

Despite security guarantees having been provided that a localized ceasefire would be adhered to, at 08:52, SMM patrol members, three of whom were standing next to their vehicles and two inside their vehicles, heard an explosion, assessed as a round of outgoing fire of an undetermined weapon at an assessed range of 100-300m west of their position. A few seconds later, while inside their vehicles, SMM patrol members heard two additional explosions, assessed as rounds of outgoing fire of an undetermined weapon at the same assessed range and direction. The SMM immediately left the area and saw that the de-mining team also left the area. There were no injuries to the SMM or damage to its property.