OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) Daily Report 1/2021 issued on 4 January 2021

Summary

• Between the evenings of 30 December 2020 and 3 January 2021, the SMM recorded 145 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and 68 ceasefire violations in Luhansk region.
• The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. On 1 January, it recorded three shots of small-arms fire inside the disengagement area near Petrivske.
• The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to localised ceasefires to enable construction and operation of critical civilian infrastructure. On 1 and 3 January, the Mission heard nine ceasefire violations close to the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) during and near times when a bus with DFS workers was driving towards the station and back to Yasynuvata.
• The SMM continued following up on the situation of civilians, including at entry-exit checkpoints and corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk region.
• The Mission visited two border crossing points outside government control and monitored areas close to the border with the Russian Federation in Donetsk region.
• The SMM observed a calm situation in south-eastern Kherson region.
• The Mission’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including at and near a checkpoint of the armed formations near Shevchenko, southern Donetsk region.*