Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 14 July 2019

This report is for the media and the general public. 

• Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 12 and 13 July, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region.
• Between the evenings of 13 and 14 July, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours.
• A man was injured by shrapnel in Horlivka and another man was injured by a bullet in Dokuchaievsk.
• The SMM saw damage from shelling to and near civilian properties, including a school, in Lukove and to a day-clinic in Khreshchatytske, as well as from small-arms fire to a residential building in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka.
• Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM saw members of the State Emergency Service conducting demining activities.
• The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the disengagement area near Zolote.
• It saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The Mission spotted a train exiting Ukraine near non-government-controlled Vyselky and a truck near non-government-controlled Manych, in the vicinity of the border with the Russian Federation.
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate the operations of critical civilian infrastructure.
• Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at two hospitals in non-government-controlled Horlivka and Donetsk city and at a checkpoint near Zaichenko.*

Ceasefire violations[1]

In Donetsk region, between the evenings of 12 and 13 July, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including fewer explosions (180), compared with the previous reporting period (about 215 explosions). Nearly half of the ceasefire violations were recorded at southerly directions of Chermalyk (government-controlled, 31km north-east of Mariupol), in areas south-south-east and south-south-west of Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk) and at southerly directions of Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol).

Between the evenings of 13 and 14 July, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including fewer explosions (about 40), compared with the previous 24 hours. More than two thirds of the ceasefire violations were recorded in areas south-south-east and south of Pyshchevyk and at easterly directions of Hnutove (government-controlled, 20km north-east of Mariupol).

In Luhansk region, between the evenings of 12 and 13 July, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions (about 75), compared with the previous reporting period (15 explosions). Nearly half of the ceasefire violations were recorded in areas east-north-east and east-south-east of Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk) and in areas north of Zolote-5/Mykhailivka (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk).

Between the evenings of 13 and 14 July, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including one explosion, compared with the previous 24 hours. More than two thirds of the ceasefire violations were recorded at easterly and southerly directions of Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk).

Man injured by bullet in Dokuchaievsk

On 14 July, the SMM followed up on reports of a man (aged 46) injured by a bullet in Dokuchaievsk (non-government-controlled, 30km south-west of Donetsk). At a hospital in Dokuchaievsk, a doctor told the SMM that the man had been admitted and treated for a bullet wound to his right thigh in the afternoon of 13 July and later was transferred to a hospital in Donetsk city (non-government-controlled). At the latter hospital, medical staff told the SMM that the man had been admitted on 13 July and that he had lost a lot of blood. On 14 July, the man told the SMM that in the afternoon of 13 July he had been in his balcony (on the third floor) at 3 Vatutina Street in Dokuchaievsk when he was hit by a bullet in his right thigh.

Man injured by shrapnel in Horlivka

On 13 July, the SMM followed up on reports of a man (aged 44) injured by shrapnel on 6 July. At a hospital in Horlivka (non-government controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk), the mother of the injured man told the SMM that in the late morning of 6 July, she had been inside her house at 26/2 Yakubova Street, when she heard several explosions and saw that her son, who she said was in the yard, had been injured in his forearm. Medical staff at the hospital in Horlivka told the SMM that the man had been admitted  and was still present, but refused to give further information.

Damage by shelling to and near civilian properties, including a school, in Lukove

The SMM followed up on reports of shelling on 11 July in Lukove (non-government-controlled, 72km south of Donetsk), a settlement located about 5km east of the forward positions of the armed formations at the contact line. At 53 Pervomaiska Street, on 11 July, the SMM saw fresh three craters (with pieces of shrapnel in them): two about 10 and 30m west and the third 10m south-west of a double-storey functioning primary school building. The SMM assessed the craters as caused by 122mm artillery rounds fired from west-south-westerly and westerly directions. The SMM saw, next to the third crater, an electrical pylon lying on the ground with ruptured electrical wires. It also saw 20 shattered windows (of which some wooden frames were dislodged) and several shrapnel holes in the west-facing wall of the school building. Within a 120m radius of the school building, the SMM saw nine additional craters, on a road as well as in a park (seven assessed as caused by 122mm artillery rounds and two by 152mm artillery rounds, fired from a westerly direction). About 50m east of the school building, the SMM observed several shrapnel holes and two shattered windows in the north-facing wall of a single-storey house, a burned down wooden shed about 10m north of the house, and several missing asbestos panels on a roof of a farm building (about 10m east of the shed).

About 120m west of the school building, the SMM saw a piece of a metal fence on the ground and shrapnel damage to other parts of the fence. It assessed the damage as caused by a 122mm artillery round fired from a westerly direction. About 20 further west, in a car parking area, the SMM saw two craters assessed as caused by 122mm artillery rounds fired from a westerly direction. The SMM also saw a destroyed concrete barrier next to one of the craters, as well as multiple shrapnel holes in a metal container and a car with multiple holes in its sides and blast damage to its front. About 50m west of the craters, the SMM saw that all the west-facing windows of a disused factory building were shattered (with some of the wooden frames dislodged), that a large piece of the top corner of the west-facing wall was missing and that parts of the metal plates of the roof had collapsed. The SMM also saw that the roof of a secondary adjacent building had collapsed and that a piece of its west-facing wall and five windows were shattered (with some wooden frames partially missing). The SMM assessed the damage as caused by the impact of two to three 122mm artillery rounds fired from a westerly direction.

About 100m west of the disused factory, at 60 Pervomaiska Street, the SMM saw a fresh crater in the ground next to a fence (of which some brick poles and metal structures were bent and partially destroyed) north of a single-storey house. The SMM assessed the damage as caused by a 122mm artillery round fired from a westerly direction.  About 50m north-east of the house, at 59 Pervomaiska Street, the SMM saw three fresh craters in a vegetable garden north of an inhabited single-storey house, assessed as caused by 122mm and 152mm artillery rounds (one assessed as fired from a westerly direction while for the others the SMM could not assess the direction of fire). The SMM also saw three shattered west-facing windows in the same house as well as a collapsed roof of a concrete garage (about 20m west) while its west- and south-facing walls had large cracks. The SMM assessed the damage to the garage as caused by a 122mm artillery round which had impacted the roof (but could not assess the direction of fire).

Within 70m of the previous house, the SMM saw three fresh craters, two in the middle of an asphalted road and the other north of a single-storey house at 54 Pervomaiska Street (as well as shrapnel holes in a north-facing wall of the house). About 20m north, at 55 Pervomaiska Street, the SMM saw that a piece of a west-facing wall and asbestos panels in the roof of an inhabited single-storey house were missing and shrapnel holes in the south-west facing wall of a garage and in the rear of a parked car. The SMM assessed all the above mentioned damage as caused by 122mm artillery rounds fired from a westerly direction. A man who introduced himself as the owner of the house at 55 Pervomaiska Street said that he had been in the basement when shelling had occurred in the morning of 11 July.

Damage by shrapnel at a day-time clinic in Khreshchatytske  

On 13 July, at Radianska Street in Khreshchatytske (formerly Krasnoarmiiske, non-government-controlled, 33km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM saw several shrapnel holes assessed as recent in three south-facing windows of a day-time clinic. The SMM previously reported damage assessed as caused by shelling in the area on 8 July (for more details, see SMM Daily Report 10 July 2019).

Damage from small-arms fire to a residential house in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka

On 12 July, at 13 Myru Street,  the SMM saw a bullet hole assessed as fresh in a cardboard covering a west-facing window of a third floor apartment in a five-storey residential building. Inside the apartment, the SMM also saw fresh scarring on a shelf and cracks on a computer screen. The SMM assessed the damage as caused by a small-arms round (5.45mm). A resident (woman, aged 59) told the SMM that on the evening of 11 July she was sleeping with her granddaughter in the bedroom while her husband was using the computer (for previous observations in the area, see SMM Daily Report 7 July 2019).

Damage by anti-tank guided missile to a building in Yasynuvata

On 13 July, at 122a Lenina Boulevard in Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk) led by two members of the armed formations, the SMM saw an impact crater in the concrete road about 4m north of a four-storey building of the armed formations, about 2.5km east of the forward positions of the armed formations. The SMM saw about 30 north-facing windows (on several floors) that were either shattered or had broken glass, some damaged tiles located above the side-entrance on the north-eastern corner of the building, as well as shrapnel damage to the north-facing wall. The SMM assessed the damage was caused by an anti-tank guided missile fired from a westerly direction. A man who presented himself as a resident of the neighbourhood said that an impact had occurred in the evening of 12 July.

Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area

On 12 July, inside the disengagement area, north of the broken part of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (15km north of Luhansk), the SMM observed members of the State Emergency Services (SES) carrying out demining activities in a field about 250m south-south-east of the entry-exit checkpoint and 100m east of the road. It also saw six Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel cutting branches and trees in a field 50m west of the same road. On 13 July, the SMM saw five SES personnel conducting demining activities on the eastern edge of the disengagement area.

On 13 and 14 July, between the former forward position of the armed formations and their checkpoint south of the bridge, the SMM saw up to four members of the armed formations wearing “JCCC” armbands.[2]

Other disengagement areas[3]

On the evening of 12 July, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded a projectile in flight at an assessed range of 2-3km south-south-east (assessed as inside the disengagement area).

During day on 13 July, positioned in four different locations near Zolote, the SMM heard an undetermined explosion and about 110 shots of small-arms and heavy-machine-gun fire, assessed as outside the disengagement area but within its 5km periphery. On the evening of the same day, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded five projectiles in flight at an assessed range of 2-4km east-south-east and south-south-west (unable to be assessed as inside or outside the disengagement area) as well as ten projectiles at an assessed range of 2-4km east-north-east and east, assessed as outside the disengagement area but within its 5km periphery.

On 14 July, positioned near Molodizhne (non-government-controlled, 63km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard an undetermined explosion at an assessed range of 3-4km north-east (unable to be assessed as inside or outside the disengagement area). On the same day, positioned at the checkpoint of the armed formations on the southern edge of the disengagement area, the SMM heard three shots and bursts of small-arms and heavy-machine-gun fire, assessed as outside the disengagement area but within its 5km periphery.

On 13 and 14 July, positioned close to the disengagement area near Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), the SMM observed a calm situation.[4]

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 withdrawal lines

Non-government-controlled areas

12 July

An SMM long-range UAV spotted:

• four self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) in a training area near Ternove (57km east of Donetsk) (see below) (for previous observations, see SMM Daily Report 12 July 2019) and
• a tank (probable T-72) in a training area near Novoselivka (37km north-east of Donetsk) (for previous observations, see SMM Daily Report 2 July 2019).

13 July

The SMM saw two self-propelled howitzers (2S1) and four towed howitzers (D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm) near Bile (22km west of Luhansk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside of designated storage sites

Non-government-controlled areas

12 July

An SMM long-range UAV spotted:

• seven tanks (T-72) in a training area near Ternove (see above) and
• ten tanks (probable T-72) in a training area near Pokrovka (36km east of Donetsk) (for previous observations, see SMM Daily Report 25 June 2019).

Weapons that the SMM could not verify as withdrawn[5]

At a heavy weapons holding area in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region

13 July

The SMM noted that nine self-propelled howitzers (2S1) and two anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) remained missing.

Weapons permanent storage site

13 July

At a permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region

The SMM noted that eight tanks (three T-64 and five T-72) remained missing.

At a permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region

The SMM noted that all weapons previously observed at the site were present.

Indications of military and military-type presence in the security zone[6]

Government-controlled areas

13 July

The SMM saw:

• an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BTR-4) near Novobakhmutivka (28km north of Donetsk) (seen also on 14 July);
• an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23-2, 23mm) near Pylypchatyne (76km north-east of Donetsk); and
• two armoured personnel carriers (APCs) (BTR-70) near Artema (26km north of Luhansk).

14 July

The SMM saw:

• an APC (BTR-60) near Troitske (30km north of Donetsk) and
• an IFV (BMP-1) near Starohnativka (51km south of Donetsk).

Non-government-controlled areas

12 July

An SMM long-range UAV spotted:

• seven armoured combat vehicles (ACV) (a BMP variant and the remainder undetermined) in a training area near Novoselivka (see above);

An SMM mini-UAV spotted an underground bunker being constructed near an existing concrete bunker about 1km south-west of Svitle (11km north of Luhansk).

SMM facilitation of the operations of civilian infrastructure

On 13 and 14 July, the SMM facilitated the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) 15km north of Donetsk) and continued to monitor the security situation in the area of the pumping station near Vasylivka (non-government-controlled, 20km north of Donetsk). On 13 July, while positioned in Yasynuvata to facilitate the operation of the DFS, the SMM heard two explosions assessed as impacts and saw a column of smoke about 2km south-west of its position and 700m south-west of a bus transporting six DFS workers on road M-04.

Train spotted exiting Ukraine near Vyselky and truck spotted near Manych, both in non-government-controlled areas near the border with the Russian Federation

On the night of 12 July, an SMM long-range UAV spotted a train (with at least 12 wagons, cargo not visible) facing an easterly direction at the train station in Kvashyne (non-government-controlled, 65km south-east of Donetsk). Within a 15-minute span, the same train was spotted moving in a south-easterly direction about 4.5km south-east of Kvashyne and then exiting Ukraine.

On the same night, about 1km east of Manych (non-government-controlled, 76km east of Donetsk), an SMM long-range UAV spotted a truck (with two people in its rear) moving north-east on dirt and asphalt roads towards the border with the Russian Federation where there are no border crossing facilities. The same truck was then spotted in a field about 3.5km east-north-east of Manych and about 200m west of the border.

Other border areas outside government control

On 13 July, while at a border crossing point near Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk) for about half an hour, the SMM saw 13 cars (five with Ukrainian and six with Russian Federation licence plates, as well as two with “DPR” plates), 15 covered cargo trucks (12 with Ukrainian and one with Russian Federation licence plates, as well as two with “DPR” plates) entering Ukraine. The SMM also saw nine cars (one with Ukrainian and three with Russian Federation licence plates, as well as five with “DPR” plates), ten covered cargo trucks (nine with Ukrainian licence plates and one with “DPR” plates) and a bus (with Ukrainian licence plates) exiting Ukraine.

On 14 July, while at a border crossing point near Voznesenivka (formerly Chervonopartyzansk, 65km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw six cars (three with Ukrainian and one with Russian Federation licence plates, as well as two with “DPR” and “LPR” plates) and a bus (with Russian Federation licence plates) exiting Ukraine. After five minutes, a member of the armed formations asked the SMM to leave the area.*

On the same day, at the Chervona Mohyla railway station near Voznesenivka, the SMM saw a cargo train heading east, but could not determine the number of railway cars and their contents. After a few minutes, a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.*

On the same day, while at a border crossing point near Ulianivske (61km south-east of Donetsk) for about 30 minutes, the SMM saw no pedestrians exiting or entering Ukraine.

Follow up on reports of an attack on the office of a Ukrainian television channel

In Kyiv, on 13 July, the SMM followed up on media reports of an attack against the office of a Ukrainian television channel. At 21-G Dehtiarivska Street, the SMM saw a shattered window, and damage on a concrete walland to the organization’s logo, as well as debris on the ground. The SMM saw about ten law enforcement officers present. Two police representatives told the SMM that at 3:30 that morning the building had been attacked by an individual with a grenade launcher, however no people had been injured or damage recorded inside the building. They added that a criminal investigation had been opened under article 258 (act of terrorism) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Later the same day, the SMM saw a protest in front of the main building of the Security Service of Ukraine, reportedly against a Ukrainian politician, who, according to some of the participants, was associated with the aforementioned television channel. The SMM saw 50 persons (16-30 years old, 80 per cent men), including some wearing National Corps insignia. It also saw 30 law enforcement officers present.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Chernivtsi.

*Restrictions of the 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. 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:

• On one occasion on 13 July and on two occasions on 14 July, at a checkpoint about 600m north of Zaichenko (non-government-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol), two armed members of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage southwards to Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol) and westwards to Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol), citing “an anti-terrorist” as well as “demining activities”.
• On 14 July, at the Chervona Mohyla railway station near Voznesenivka (formerly Chervonopartyzansk, non-government-controlled, 65km south-east of Luhansk), a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.
• On 14 July, at a border crossing point in Voznesenivka, a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.

Regular restrictions related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• The sides continued to deny the SMM full access to 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.

Other impediments:

• On the evening and night of 12-13 July, while flying near Kostiantynivka (government-controlled, 60km north of Donetsk), an SMM long-range UAV experienced signal interference, assessed as probably caused by jamming.[7]
• On the morning of 13 July, the SMM lost control over an SMM mini-UAV which was flying over an area about 2.7km north-east of Luhansk city (non-government-controlled) after it experienced GPS signal interference, assessed as probably caused by jamming.

[1]           For a complete breakdown of ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table.  On 13 July, the SMM camera in Shyrokyne (government-controlled, 20km west of Mariupol) was not operational.

* Please see the section at the end of this report entitled “Restrictions of the SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to fulfilment of its mandate”.

[2] The Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) was established in September 2014 by Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Each posted a representative to jointly head the Centre and a staff of officers from the Ukrainian and Russian Federation Armed Forces to be co-located in defined sectors of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. In December 2017, Russian Federation Armed Forces officers withdrew from the JCCC and departed Ukraine.

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

[4] 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.

[5] The SMM visited an area 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.

[6] The hardware mentioned in this section is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.

[7] The interference could have originated from anywhere within a radius of kilometres from the UAVs’ positions.