Daily and spot reports from the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine

The SMM recorded on 27 March more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, and fewer ceasefire violations in Luhansk region, compared with 26 March. The Mission observed damage caused by recent shelling to houses and civilian infrastructure in Avdiivka, Popasna and Vesela Hora. The Mission monitored the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, but its access there and elsewhere remained restricted.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM visited one border area currently not controlled by the Government. The blockade of railway routes across the contact line in Buhas, Hirske and Bakhmut continued. In Kharkiv region the SMM continued monitoring the situation following a fire and a series of explosions at an ammunition storage depot...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region on 25 March compared with 24 March and more ceasefire violations on 26 March compared with 25 March. In Luhansk region the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations (all of which were explosions) on 25 March compared with 24 March, and fewer explosions on 26 March compared with 25 March. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Pokrovsk and Avdiivka and observed damage caused by recent shelling to houses in Zaichenko, Dokuchaievsk, Orikhove, Molodizhne and Katerynivka. The Mission monitored the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, but its access there and elsewhere remained restricted...

At 12:10 on 24 March, an SMM patrol of four mission members in two armoured vehicles stopped at an abandoned bus stop about 800m west of “LPR”-controlled Znamianka (36km north-west of Luhansk) to monitor the ceasefire. On disembarking the SMM heard eight single shots of small-arms fire approximately 1km south...

The security situation deteriorated along the contact line. The SMM recorded a sharp increase in the number of ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Yasynuvata and Donetsk city and observed damage to civilian houses and other infrastructure on both sides of the contact line. The Mission monitored the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, but its access there and elsewhere remained restricted...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. It corroborated a report of a civilian casualty in Yasynuvata. The Mission monitored the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, but its access there and elsewhere remained restricted.* The SMM noted long queues at entry-exit checkpoints in Stanytsia Luhanska, Olenivka, Berezove and Novotroitske. It monitored a border area currently not controlled by the Government. The Mission continued to monitor the blockade of railway routes across the contact line. The SMM monitored protests outside banks in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia, and followed up reports of vandalism against a bank in Ternopil...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period, and a similar number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The SMM heard small-arms fire close to its position while conducting a mini-UAV flight near Aslanove. The Mission observed damage from shelling in Sarabash and Donetskyi, and corroborated reports of a civilian casualty in Dokuchaievsk. The Mission monitored disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, but its access there and elsewhere remained restricted. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in government controlled areas. The SMM followed up on reports of vandalism against a bank branch in Kramatorsk and a shooting incident at a collective centre for internally displaced persons in Kyiv...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous 24 hours, mostly concentrated in areas to the east and north-east of Mariupol and including the use of multiple-launch rocket systems, and a similar number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region compared to the previous 24 hours. It observed damage from shelling to a house in Luhanske and corroborated reports of civilian casualties in Lozove and Avdiivka. The Mission monitored disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, but its access there and elsewhere remained restricted. SMM cameras recorded ceasefire violations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska area. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in government controlled areas, as well as weapons missing from permanent storage sites in areas not under government control. It again noted long queues of civilians at three entry-exit checkpoints. The SMM continued to monitor the blockade of railway routes crossing the contact line. The Mission continued monitoring protests outside banks in Kyiv and Dnipro...