Daily and spot reports from the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period, though the overall situation remained tense. Most of the ceasefire violations were recorded in the Avdiivka-Yasynuvata-Donetsk airport area. The Mission followed up on reports of casualties and saw damage caused by shelling on both sides of the contact line, including in Avdiivka and Makiivka and observed the evacuation of children from Avdiivka.

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). Shelling in the northern outskirts of Donetsk intensified over the last 48hrs.

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the activities of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC).

The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations. The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region – including, however, fewer explosions – compared with the previous reporting period. It recorded more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The Mission monitored the disengagement areas near Zolote and heard one explosion assessed as outside the Stanytsia Luhanska area. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The SMM visited a border area not under government control. The Mission observed almost 40 trucks- some marked with “Humanitarian Aid from the Russian Federation”- travelling towards Makiivka in Donetsk region and moving east near Teple in Luhansk region.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission observed fresh damage from gunfire to a house in Yasynuvata. It continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and was restricted again near Zaichenko and Bezimenne, as well as in Kruta Balka and at a weapons permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Starolaspa and Marinka. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS), including through monitoring the security situation around the station; it heard explosions close to the station despite explicit security guarantees. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs and maintenance works to other essential civilian infrastructure. It monitored the situation of civilians at the entry-exit checkpoint near the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge and noted again that the wooden ramps on the broken part of the bridge were unstable...

The SMM continued to monitor the non-use of weapons provision of the Minsk Protocol, noting sporadic shelling around Donetsk and Mariupol cities, and in an area west of Luhansk city. Elsewhere in Donbas, however, calm prevailed, most notably in Luhansk city, where, in addition to a cessation of violence, normal services are beginning to be restored...

The SMM monitored impacts of shelling in Donetsk, visited a border crossing point near Kharkiv, and received accounts about illegal dumping of chemical material near Lviv.

The SMM visited Severodonetsk in the Luhansk region, which was retaken by the Ukrainian army. The situation in Donetsk deteriorated. The SMM visited three areas of Donetsk city after an explosion and assessed the damage...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Zaitseve. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske and recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including near Izvaryne and Sievernyi at the border with the Russian Federation and in Luhansk city. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It continued to monitor and facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station to facilitate repair works and keep it operational; it heard ceasefire violations in the area, despite security guarantees. The SMM also continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema, high-voltage power lines near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka and facilitated access for Vodafone employees to their office in Donetsk city. In Ternopil region, the SMM followed up on reports of an attack against members of the Roma community. In Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson, the SMM monitored public gatherings. In Kherson, the SMM attended a hearing related to a detained cargo ship.

KYIV, 24 August 2014- The SMM on 23 August (at 17:15hrs) saw a residential area in Donetsk (Kalinski district, around 5km north of the city centre) which was severely damaged by artillery. Residents at the scene told the SMM that the area was shelled at around 16:30hrs.