OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine
Daily and spot reports from the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine gathers information and reports each day on the security situation with daily reports, and in response to specific incidents on the ground with spot reports.
OSCE SMM Spot Report 30/2021: Armed formations denied the SMM passage to non-government-controlled areas near Zolote, Luhansk region
Report type: Spot report
At 15:00 on 25 November, an SMM patrol consisting of four vehicles arrived from government-controlled areas at about 350m north of the southern edge of the disengagement area near Zolote to travel to non-government-controlled areas. Two members of the armed formations (wearing armbands with “JCCC” written on them) denied the Mission passage, citing “orders from their superiors”. At 15:15, the patrol left and returned to government-controlled areas...
OSCE SMM Spot Report 29/2021: Armed formations denied the SMM passage across the contact line near Zolote, Stanytsia Luhanska and Molodizhne, Luhansk region
Report type: Spot report
At 09:38 on 25 November, an SMM patrol consisting of two vehicles and seven people arrived from non-government-controlled areas at a checkpoint of the armed formations near the southern edge of the disengagement area near Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk), to travel to government-controlled areas. A member of the armed formations (wearing armbands with “JCCC” written on them) denied the Mission passage, citing “orders from his superiors”. At 09:43, the patrol left the area and proceeded to Zolote-5 (Mykhailivka) (non-government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk)...
OSCE SMM Spot Report 28/2021: Armed formations denied the SMM passage on two occasions at their checkpoint near Horlivka, Donetsk region
Report type: Spot report
On 24 November, at 10:39, an SMM patrol consisting of two vehicles and five people arrived from Donetsk city at a checkpoint of the armed formations near Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk), travelling to government-controlled areas. At the checkpoint, two visibly armed members of the armed formations denied the Mission passage, citing a “lack of permission” for the SMM to cross. At 14:54, the patrol returned to Donetsk city...
OSCE SMM Spot Report 27/2021: Armed formations in Luhansk region denied the SMM entry into non-government-controlled areas near Zolote, Stanytsia Luhanska, and Molodizhne
Report type: Spot report
Between 09:45 and 10:00 on 23 November, an SMM patrol consisting of two vehicles and five people arrived from government-controlled areas at about 350m north of the southern edge of the disengagement area near Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) to travel to non-government-controlled areas. Two members of the armed formations (wearing armbands with “JCCC” written on them) denied the Mission passage, citing “orders from their superiors”. At 10:05, the patrol left the area and proceeded towards Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk)...
OSCE SMM Spot Report 26/2021: Members of the armed formations denied the SMM access to Staromykhailivka and threatened to shoot down an SMM mini-UAV
Report type: Spot report
On 19 November at 09:45, at a checkpoint in Staromykhailivka (non-government-controlled, 15km west of Donetsk), two visibly armed members of the armed formations denied the SMM passage into the settlement, referring to a need to obtain approval from their superiors. The patrol’s task was to follow
OSCE SMM Spot Report 25/2021: Non-SMM unmanned aerial vehicle and ceasefire violations close to the SMM patrol in Bolotene, Luhansk region
Report type: Spot report
At 14:15 on 6 November, while positioned on the western edge of Bolotene (government-controlled, 22km north-east of Luhansk), the Mission heard four bursts of small-arms fire at an assessed range of less than 50m south of its position. SMM patrol members immediately re-entered their vehicles. A few
OSCE SMM Spot Report 24/2021: SMM camera system near government-controlled Hranitne, Donetsk region, damaged due to shelling
Report type: Spot report
At 10:45 on 2 November, the SMM arrived at its camera site near Hranitne (government-controlled, 60km south of Donetsk) to conduct scheduled camera maintenance. Upon arrival at the camera site, the Mission saw damage to the system...
OSCE SMM Spot Report 23/2021: At Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, members of the armed formations delay by 98 minutes SMM exit out of non-government controlled areas
Report type: Spot report
On the morning of 27 October at 10:41, an SMM patrol with Deputy Chief Monitor (DCM) Mark Etherington on board arrived at the armed formations crossing point near the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge...
OSCE SMM Spot Report 22/2021: The SMM resumes patrolling from its Forward Patrol Base in Horlivka
Report type: Spot report
On 18 October, at 15:40, the SMM saw that the previously observed padlock and chain (see SMM Spot Report 20/2021 of 17 October 2021) had been removed from the vehicle gates of its Forward Patrol Base (FPB) in Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk), and that the gates were open. In front of the FPB, the Mission observed a previously installed tent, but saw no people or vehicles nearby. The SMM left its FPB to conduct a patrol, and returned at 16:03...
OSCE SMM Spot Report 21/2021: Members of the armed formations denied the SMM passage at the checkpoint near Kreminets, Donetsk region
Report type: Spot report
On 17 October, an SMM patrol consisting of three vehicles and nine people arrived at a checkpoint of the armed formations on road H-15 near the Kargil plant in Kreminets (non-government-controlled, 16km south-west of Donetsk) at 12:01, intending to travel to non-government-controlled areas. Another SMM patrol, consisting of two vehicles and six people, intending to cross to government-controlled areas, arrived at the same checkpoint ten minutes later. At the checkpoint, two members of the armed formations denied both patrols passage, referring to instructions of their superiors “not to let the SMM pass through the checkpoint in either direction”.