Delta 9 Patrol: Olenivka Checkpoint

For Elena, patrol leader for Delta 9, the day begins with a morning briefing at 7:30 at the SMM’s Donetsk patrol hub, where she receives the latest operational instructions as well as a security update. Although the ceasefire has been largely holding since 27 July, following strengthening measures adopted by the Trilateral Contact Group, the situation remains tense. SMM patrols, in particular around the Donetsk Filtration Station some 16 kilometres north, have been recording ceasefire violations on a daily basis, albeit in relatively low numbers.

In addition, the global COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges. While Elena is at the briefing, drivers are busy disinfecting the patrol vehicles. All patrol members also wear masks and gloves and practice social distancing if remote meetings with interlocutors cannot be held. “We are taking all necessary precautions,” Elena says.

An experienced investigative police officer who also worked as a legal officer for EULEX Kosovo, Elena has been with the Mission since October 2019. She has travelled widely throughout the region, and patrolled along the contact line dozens of times. Today’s patrol will take her and her small team – reduced in numbers as a preventative measure in the face of COVID-19 – to Olenivka. There, one checkpoint held by the armed formations operates two days a week. It is the only place for civilians to cross the contact line in Donetsk region since July when the other three checkpoints that exist in Donetsk region were closed. The closure of the checkpoints has led to a 90% decrease in the number of crossings and has further compounded problems for people to receive their pensions, access education or medical treatment, obtain key documents or visit family, friends or property.

Thirty minutes after leaving the hub, the patrol arrives at Olenivka. In comparison to times prior to the introduction of measures declared by the sides as COVID-related, Olenivka checkpoint looks deserted, with about a dozen cars waiting to cross and a handful of people filling out the documents required to cross the contact line. In the past, 200 to 300 cars used to line up in the morning at the checkpoint, and hundreds of people would arrive by bus and minivan in order to make the journey to government-controlled areas. With people now having to pre-register and agree not to return until the end of the quarantine period – currently an open-ended commitment – evidently few people consider it a price worth paying.

As soon as the monitors park their vehicles and begin to survey the area, an elderly man approaches them. Jennifer, a human rights advocate by background, listens to his story. His grandson has died, and he wants to cross the contact line to attend the funeral, but he has yet to receive permission from the armed formations. As he does not have a SIM card that works in areas not controlled by the Government, he is unable to call the office processing his application.

During the course of the day, the patrol will hear many such stories: a family seeking to reunite a child with his mother on the other side of the line, people unable to take up job offers and others who need to care for aging relatives. It is, says Al, Donetsk Monitoring Team’s media focal point, typical of what patrols to Olenivka checkpoint have been hearing since the early days of the pandemic. “Our observations are reflected in Mission reports, and we refer specific cases to relevant international organizations which can provide help,” he says.

As dusk approaches, Delta 9 returns to the patrol hub in Donetsk city, where Elena and Jennifer will write their patrol report. “It can be incredibly frustrating, knowing that some people will have to sleep out in the open tonight, waiting and hoping to cross the contact line the next time the checkpoint opens,” Elena says as the patrol moves out. “With an improved security situation, I’m just hoping for an improved humanitarian situation, too.”