Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30, 21 August 2016

This report is for media and the general public.

The SMM observed an increase in the number of explosions recorded in Donetsk region both on 20 August (over 430) and 21 August (over 540) compared to 19 August. In Luhansk region the SMM recorded more explosions (over 250) on 20 August and fewer explosions on 21 August (over 30) compared to 19 August. On two consecutive days, the Mission heard small-arms fire in close vicinity of its positions – in Novooleksandrivka and Novozvanivka respectively – while conducting mini-UAV flights. The SMM conducted crater analysis and observed the results of shelling on both sides of the contact line, in Marinka, Svitlodarsk, Hranitne, Pervomaiske, Veselohorivka, Komyshuvakha, Petrovskyi district, Yasynuvata, and Stanytsia Luhanska. The SMM monitored long queues at entry-exit checkpoint in Zaitseve/Horlivka and at Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, and facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable demining work and repairs at the bridge. The Mission monitored five border areas not controlled by the Government and continued to observe a calm situation along the administrative boundary line with Crimea. The SMM faced five freedom-of-movement restrictions, all in areas not controlled by the Government.

The SMM noted an increase in the number of ceasefire violations observed in Donetsk region both on 20 August (over 430 explosions recorded) and 21 August (over 540 explosions recorded) compared to 19 August.[1]

Whilst in Donetsk city centre the SMM heard 53 undetermined explosions 4-8km north-north-east of its position on the early morning of 20 August, and recorded 55 undetermined explosions 5-10km north-west and north-north-west of its position on that night.

On the night of 19 August, the SMM camera in government-controlled Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk) recorded 51 explosions (12 of which were assessed as caused by outgoing 82mm mortar rounds and 37 as caused by impacts of rounds fired from undetermined weapons) mostly 2-5km south-south-east of its location. The following day positioned in Avdiivka, the SMM heard 80 explosions including eight explosions caused by artillery rounds, 37 explosions caused by outgoing mortar rounds and seven caused by impacts of mortar rounds 2-8km east and south-east of its position. On the same day, positioned in “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard five explosions caused by impacts of 82mm mortar rounds 0.5-1km north, and 20 undetermined explosions 3-5km west-north-west and north-north-west of its position. The SMM camera in Avdiivka recorded 52 undetermined explosions on the evening of 20 August and 45 undetermined explosions on the early morning of the following day all 3-7km east-south-east and south-south-east of its location. During the daytime of 21 August positioned in Avdiivka, the SMM heard 96 explosions (34 of which were assessed as caused by outgoing mortar rounds and six as caused by impacts of mortar round) all at locations 3-8km ranging from north-north-east to south-south-east of its position. Positioned in Yasynuvata, the SMM registered 15 undetermined explosions 6-8km west and north-west of its position.

On the evening of 19 August whilst in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM heard 139 explosions assessed as caused by impacts of 120mm mortar rounds mostly 2-6km north-west and west of its position. On the evening of the following day whilst at the same location, the SMM heard 20 explosions assessed as caused by impacts of 120mm mortar rounds 5km west of its position.

During the night of 19 August whilst in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 31 undetermined explosions 3-5km east of its position. On the evening of the following day, whilst in Svitlodarsk, the SMM recorded 56 explosions,34 of which were assessed as caused by artillery rounds (122mm and 152mm) and 15 caused by mortar rounds (120mm) all 2-3km east of its position. Whilst in the same location over a course of an hour and a half in the morning of 21 August, the SMM heard 132 undetermined explosions 3-5km east of its position.

The SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol), facing north-east, recorded, between 21:35 and 21:54 of 19 August, 65 undetermined explosions and an exchange of fire beginning with five bursts of tracers from north-east to north-west. The camera recorded 322 bursts of tracer (242 bursts fired from north-east to north-west, 58 bursts from north-west to north-east, ten bursts from south-west to north-west and two from east to west) and 16 rocket-assisted projectiles (16 fired from south-east to north-west and two north-east to south-west). On the night of 22 August, the camera recorded six undetermined explosions, and an exchange of fire at an undetermined distance to the north, north-north-east and north-east. The exchange of fire started with four bursts of tracer fired from north-west to north-east, followed by 287 shots (217 shots of tracer fired from west to east and 70 shots from east to west) and 24 rocket-assisted projectiles (eight fired from north-west/north-north-west to north-east, 15 from west to east and one east to north-east).

In Luhansk region the SMM recorded more explosions (over 250) on 20 August and fewer explosions on 21 August (over 30) compared to 19 August. On the night of 19 August whilst in “LPR”-controlled Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, 50km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 125 explosions 5-10km south and 100 explosions 3-7km east of its position. All explosions were assessed as caused by impacts and outgoing artillery rounds. On 20 August positioned in “LPR”-controlled Zolote-5 (60km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 11 undetermined explosions 10km west of its position. While landing a mini unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Novooleksandrivka (64km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard at least five bursts of small-arms fire approximately 50m to the west (see SMM Spot Report on 21 August). Whilst in government-controlled Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk) between 05:23 and 05:44 of 21 August, the SMM heard 18 explosions (two of which were assessed as caused by 82mm mortar rounds) accompanied by multiple bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire 3-5km south and south-west of its position. While conducting a flight of its mini-UAV near government-controlled Novozvanivka (70km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard five shots of small-arms fire 100-150m east of its position.

The SMM observed the results of shelling and analysed craters on both sides of the contact line. On 19 August, at the school no.2 located in the centre of government-controlled Marinka (23km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM saw a hole in the east-facing window of a school museum located on the third floor, and a hole in the frame of one of the paintings hanging on a wall inside the museum and assessed a bullet had been fired from an easterly or a north-easterly direction. The director of the school told the SMM that a bullet had passed through the school window the previous evening.

On 19 August in Svitlodarsk, the SMM observed three fresh craters in and around a sunflower field near the water filtration plant. One crater was located 70m away from the premises of the station and two others were located near high-voltage power lines. The SMM conducted analysis on two of them and assessed them as caused by 152mm artillery rounds fired from an east-south-easterly direction. On the ground near the third crater, the SMM also found shrapnel consistent with a 152mm artillery round. The SMM also saw the power line severed as a result of shelling that the Ukrainian Armed Forces officer at the JCCC said had taken place that morning. In government-controlled Hranitne (25km north of Mariupol), the SMM saw three fresh craters 5-10m east of a factory and assessed them as caused by 122mm or 152mm artillery rounds fired from an easterly direction. The SMM observed shrapnel damage to the east-facing wall of the factory and a rail track leading into the factory. A resident (woman aged 40) informed the SMM that she had heard approximately 65 explosions between 23:23 and 2:30 on 16-17 August.

On the same day, near “DPR”-controlled Pervomaiske (59km south of Donetsk), the SMM, accompanied by Russian Federation Armed Forces officers at the JCCC and “DPR” members, saw one fresh crater 300m from a house and assessed it as caused by a rocket with undetermined calibre fired from a westerly direction.

In “LPR”-controlled Veselohorivka (64 km west of Luhansk), the SMM conducted analysis on a relatively fresh crater 50m away from an inhabited house, concluding that it had been caused by a 152mm artillery round fired from a westerly direction. The SMM saw shrapnel damage to trees around the crater. A resident of the house told the SMM that shelling occurred on the night of 17-18 August.  

On 20 August in government-controlled Komyshuvakha (68km west of Luhansk), the SMM saw a fresh crater in an open field 70m from an inhabited house and assessed it as caused by a 122mm artillery round fired from a south-easterly direction. The SMM observed shrapnel damage to a power line and fruit trees.  

On the same day, at the school no.103 in “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city’s Petrovskyi district (15km south-west of Donetsk city), the SMM, accompanied by a Russian Federation Armed Forces officer at the JCCC and an armed “DPR” member, analysed multiple fresh holes/impacts: two holes in two west-facing windows (one in each) at a classroom on the second floor of the school building were assessed as caused by anti-aircraft gun rounds (ZU-23, 23mm); one hole on the west-facing part of a tree outside the building was assessed as caused by heavy-machine gun bullet (12.7mm). The SMM also observed a hole on the western side of the roof of the school building, 14 holes on the west-facing window at a classroom on the third floor and three holes in one window at a classroom on the first floor, which were assessed as caused by undetermined weapons. Analysis of all holes/impacts indicated the direction of fire to have been from a westerly direction. A night guard of the school said he had heard explosions and bursts at 20:10 on 18 August.

On 21 August in government-controlled Solodke (33km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM saw a completely destroyed detached building and shattered windows of the main house, located less than 100m away from a military compound. The SMM observed 13 fresh craters – one inside the detached building, another in the garden of the house and 11 others in an adjacent field – and assessed that all of them were caused by 122mm or 152mm artillery rounds fired from a north-easterly direction.

On the same day in Yasynuvata the SMM observed two impact sites. At the first site, the SMM saw a fresh crater just outside the fence of a house and assessed it as caused by an 82mm mortar round. Residents (a man and his wife, both in their forties, and their son) told the SMM that shelling had started a 13:00 on 20 August, when they were outside in the backyard. According to them, the man had been injured on his right leg and his wife had suffered a shock from the blast wave. The SMM also observed shrapnel damage to the fence and a tree next to the fence. At the second site, the SMM observed a hole in the roof of a house, broken windows and some parts of the roof on the ground. The SMM was not able to enter the house for crater analysis as the doors of the house were locked.

The SMM followed up on information on a civilian allegedly injured on the night of 20 August in Petrovskyi district. At a Donetsk city hospital, medical personnel informed the SMM that on the night of 20 August a resident of Petrovskyi district (a man aged 38), who sustained a bullet wound in the head had been admitted to the hospital.   

At a location 100m north-west of the Siverskyi Donets river at the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge – between the broken part of the bridge and the southernmost Ukrainian Armed Forces forward position, the SMM observed one mortar shell lying on a soil outside the road 30cm from the road fence and assessed it as an 82mm mortar round fired from a northerly direction, which remained unexploded. The SMM also saw a rocket from an undetermined weapon lying on the soil 50cm apart from the mortar shell. Beginning at 10:00 on 21 August the SMM monitored and facilitated adherence to the ceasefire to enable demining work. At 11:15 pedestrian traffic was stopped and “LPR” members started demining work, which finished at 11:35. Subsequently, on the spot the SMM observed the mortar shell had been removed while the rocket remained there.      

The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons, in implementation of the Package of Measures and its Addendum, as well as the Minsk Memorandum.

In violation of the respective withdrawal lines the SMM observed four multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS; BM-21 Grad, 122mm) and about 800 rockets  (BM-21 Grad, 122mm)  in government-controlled Ivanivka (59km south-west of Donetsk) on 20 August.

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside assigned areas, the SMM observed, at a known training area near “LPR”-controlled Myrne (28km south-west of Luhansk), one tank (T-72) on 20 August and 18 tanks (T-64) on 21 August.

The SMM revisited an “LPR” heavy weapons permanent storage site, whose location corresponded with the withdrawal lines. The SMM noted that five towed howitzers 9D-30 Lyagushka, 12mm) were missing as it had observed previously, and one multiple-launch rocket-system (MLRS; BM-21 Grad, 122mm) was missing for the first time.

The SMM observed the presence of armoured combat vehicles (ACVs) and an anti-aircraft weapon in the security zone. In government-controlled areas the SMM recorded: four armoured personnel carriers (APCs; BRDM-2) and one APC (MT-LB) mounted with one anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23) near Zolote-1 (60km west of Luhansk); one light-armoured vehicle (Kraz cougar) mounted with a heavy machine-gun in Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk) on 21 August.

The SMM monitored five border areas not controlled by the Government including border crossing points in Uspenka and Marynivka (“DPR”-controlled, 73 and 78km east of Donetsk, respectively) on 20 August, in Ulianivske (“DPR”-controlled, 61km south-east of Donetsk) and Sievernyi (“LPR”-controlled, 50km south-east of Luhansk) on 21 August, and in Izvaryne (“LPR”-controlled 53km south-east of Luhansk) both on 20 and 21 August. Among the visited border crossing points, the highest vehicular traffic was noted in Izvaryne, where on 20 August the SMM observed 95 cars (79 with Ukrainian licence plates and 16 with Russian ones) and five buses (all with Ukrainian licence plates) waiting to cross into the Russian Federation, as well as 92 cars (73 with Ukrainian licence plates and 19 with Russian ones) in the parking lot next to the border crossing point. Approximately three to four groups of people (ten men and women of various ages) waiting in a queue separately told the SMM that they had been waiting for 14 hours since the previous evening. The following day at the same border crossing point, the SMM saw a queue of 20 pedestrians and 131 cars. The breakdown of licence plates was 105 Ukrainian, 25 Russian, and a vehicle with “LPR” plates. One man (aged 50) stated that he had been queuing for more than 12 hours. On 20 August, the SMM saw two cars with “DPR” “military” plates travelling at high speed to the Marynivka crossing point and overtaking the queue of cars waiting to cross into the Russian Federation. Approximately 35 minutes later the SMM saw the same cars escorting a third civilian car with Russian Federation licence plates coming back from the Russian Federation.

The SMM continued to observe queues at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. On the morning of 20 August, on the road leading to the first Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint at the bridge south of Stanytsia Luhanska the SMM observed approximately 220 pedestrians waiting to cross into government-controlled areas and 200 people waiting in the opposite direction. At the same time, the SMM observed 350 people waiting to walk towards government-controlled areas and 150 people waiting to travel in the opposite direction at the “LPR” checkpoint immediately south of the bridge. Just after noon of 21 August at an entry-exit checkpoint in government-controlled Zaitseve (62km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM observed a queue of 148 cars and 365 pedestrians waiting to exit government-controlled areas. At an entry-exit checkpoint in “DPR”-controlled Horlivka the SMM saw 166 cars, 12 buses and 365 pedestrians waiting in queue to travel towards government-controlled areas. In addition, between the two entry-exit checkpoints the SMM observed a total of approximately 250 cars, ten buses and some 700 pedestrians travelling in both directions. 

The SMM continued to monitor the situation along the administrative boundary line between the mainland and Crimea. At the Kalanchak, Chaplynka and Chonhar crossing points (67km, 72km and 167km south-east of Kherson, respectively), the SMM observed a calm situation. On 19 August some 2.5km south-east of the village of Druzheliubivka (121km south-east of Kherson), the SMM observed an air defence unit with several soldiers and a mobile radar system for airspace monitoring. On the same day, at Valok (210km south-east of Kherson), the SMM noted an increase in border guard presence as well as an armoured truck which it had not previously seen. The border guard commander present told that a special border guard unit had been deployed to enhance their presence in the area. On 20 August, the SMM observed the following military vehicles in the south of Kherson region: two MLRS (Uragan-1M) without rockets in tubes separately parked near Chaplynka; an MLRS (Uragan) transporter-loader (9T452) without ammunition heading east near Askania-Nova (98km east of Kherson); a convoy of five MLRS (BM-30 Smerch, 300mm) and five logistics vehicles travelling north near Kalanchak; and a convoy of ten logistics vehicles heading in the direction near Nova Kakhovka (59km east of Kherson).

*Restrictions to SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to the fulfilment of its mandate

The SMM’s monitoring is restrained by security hazards and threats, including risks posed by mines and unexploded ordnance, and by restrictions to its freedom of movement 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 to the SMM’s freedom of movement constitutes a violation, and on the need for rapid response to these violations.

Denial of access:

• On 19 August in the vicinity of a train station in “LPR”-controlled Zolote-5, two armed men did not allow the SMM to fly its UAV in the area, stating that they had not received approval from their “superior”. The JCCC was informed.
• On 20 August the SMM was not able to proceed from government-controlled parts of Zolote to “LPR”-controlled Pervomaisk (58km west of Luhansk) due to the presence of anti-tank mines on the road north of “LPR” positions in Zolote (see SMM Daily Report 11 August 2016).

Conditional access:

• On 19 August at a checkpoint in “DPR”-controlled Olenivka (23km south-east of Donetsk), an armed man stopped the SMM and said that it had to wait in a queue alongside civilians instead of passing the checkpoint straight, referring to a new instructions which was, according to him, introduced three days before. When the SMM arrived at the contact line after having waited in a queue for approximately 20 minutes, an armed man did not allow the SMM to pass the checkpoint in convoy, stating that vehicles should proceed one by one. The SMM was therefore forced to split the convoy of two vehicles. The JCCC was informed.

Delay:

• On 20 August at a checkpoint in “LPR”-controlled Sokilnyky (39km north-west of Luhansk), armed men delayed the SMM for 55 minutes before allowing it to proceed. The JCCC was informed.
• On 21 August at a checkpoint on the western edge of “DPR”-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske (formerly Oktiabr, 29km north-east of Mariupol) armed men delayed the SMM for 17 minutes while they sought permission from their “superior”.

[1] Please see the annexed table for a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations as well as map of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions marked with locations featured in this report.