Daily and spot reports from the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The Mission saw fresh damage caused by shelling to a civilian property in Olenivka, reportedly ten days ago. • Small-arms fire was directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near Chermalyk and at an SMM mid-range UAV near Berezivske. • Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM continued to monitor the operation of a shuttle bus service in government-controlled areas north of the bridge. • The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to critical civilian infrastructure, including repairs to power lines near Betmanove. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a checkpoint near non-government-controlled Zaichenko and Shevchenko.

Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 19 and 20 July, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and in Luhansk regions. Between the evenings of 20 and 21 July, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. Following the beginning of a recommitment to the ceasefire at 00:01 on 21 July, in connection with the agreement reached at the meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk on 17 July, the SMM recorded 79 ceasefire violations, including six explosions. A man died in a garden in Krasnohorivka due to gunfire. A woman died and several people, including a child, suffered shrapnel injuries in Pervomaisk. The Mission observed fresh gunfire damage to a garden in Krasnohorivka, to residential houses in Chermalyk, and fresh damage due to shelling to houses in Pervomaisk. Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM continued to monitor the operation of a shuttle bus service in government-controlled areas, north of the bridge. The Mission observed ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area and an infantry fighting vehicle inside the Petrivske disengagement area. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in government- and non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM observed mines near Yasne and Slavne, some for the first time, as well as unexploded ordnance near Khrestivka. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station and to monitor the security situation near the pumping station near Vasylivka. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at checkpoints near non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske, Zaichenko and Petrivske.* In Kyiv, the SMM observed a commemoration event for a journalist killed three years ago. The SMM observed a calm security situation in several regions of Ukraine during the Parliamentary Elections.

On the morning of 26 February, an SMM patrol consisting of six members and two armoured vehicles was positioned on the western edge of Zolote-5/Mykhailivka (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk), about 500m east of the eastern edge of the Zolote disengagement area. The patrol was monitoring the security situation in the area to enable repair works to water pipes in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. Three patrol members were standing next to the vehicles and the others were inside them. Six employees of the Luhansk Water Company were conducting the repair works about 100m west-north-west of the SMM’s position.

At around 12:40 on 23 February, while moving south past the forward position of the armed formations along the contact line on road H-20 near Olenivka (non-government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk), about 200m south of the above-mentioned position of the armed formations, the SMM saw the burning wreckage of an overturned minivan on the soft ground of a median strip between the road lanes. Within a radius of 15m of the wreckage, the Mission saw debris from the vehicle scattered around, including three tyres and two doors, all scorched. The SMM saw a fresh crater in the median strip about 3m from the wreckage as well as three mine hazard signs: one lying on the ground less than 10m from the crater and the other two attached to a post and a barrier nearby. The SMM assessed that the vehicle had detonated an explosive device (probably an anti-tank mine) in the median strip.

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. The Mission learned about readiness to observe the recommitment to the ceasefire by the Ukrainian side of the JCCC and the armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk starting from 00:01 on 21 July. The SMM followed up on a woman who died of shrapnel injuries in Donetsk city. The Mission saw fresh damage caused by gunfire to civilian properties in Donetsk city and in Marinka. Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM continued to monitor demining activities and the operation of a shuttle bus service in government-controlled areas north of the bridge. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to water pipelines near Horlivka and Maiorsk, as well as to power lines near Novokyivka. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a checkpoint near non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. A man was injured by gunfire in Yasynuvata. The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in training areas near non-government-controlled Miusynsk and Ternove. Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM continued to observe the operation of a shuttle bus service in government-controlled areas north of the bridge. Trains were spotted moving east and west in non-government-controlled areas near the border with the Russian Federation. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs to water pipelines near Holubivka and Maiorsk, as well as to powerlines near Spartak. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at checkpoints in non-government-controlled areas of southern Donetsk region near Zaichenko and Shevchenko...

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • The SMM followed up on reports of a man injured by a mine explosion in Pryvitne. • It saw damage to a residential house in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. • Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM continued to observe demining activities by the State Emergency Services of Ukraine and the operation of a shuttle bus service. • The Mission saw weapons in violations of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line in Luhansk region. • The Mission saw long queues at checkpoints of the armed formations along the contact line. • The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs of critical civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line. • Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at checkpoints in non-government-controlled areas of southern Donetsk region near Zaichenko and Novolaspa.*

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • A man from Chermalyk died from shrapnel injuries. • The SMM saw fresh damage caused by gunfire to civilian properties in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka and Marinka, and craters caused by shelling near residential houses in Khreshchatytske. • Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM continued to observe demining activities and the operation of a shuttle bus service. • The Mission saw anti-tank mines and a wire obstacle on the road inside the Zolote disengagement area. • It saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region; specifically, it saw mortars near Sentianivka and multiple launch rocket systems in a training area near Miusynsk. • The SMM saw for the first time unexploded ordnance near Molodizhne and in Sentianivka.

Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM saw fresh damage caused by gunfire to civilian properties in Dokuchaievsk and Marinka. Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM continued to observe demining activities; it also observed that a shuttle bus service had been introduced to transport people from an area south of the entry-exit checkpoint to the broken section of the bridge and in opposite direction. It saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs of critical civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line, including to water pipelines in government-controlled Artema and power lines in non-government-controlled Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at checkpoints near Zaichenko, Bezimenne and Novoazovsk, all in non-government-controlled areas of southern Donetsk region...

• Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 12 and 13 July, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. • Between the evenings of 13 and 14 July, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours. • A man was injured by shrapnel in Horlivka and another man was injured by a bullet in Dokuchaievsk. • The SMM saw damage from shelling to and near civilian properties, including a school, in Lukove and to a day-clinic in Khreshchatytske, as well as from small-arms fire to a residential building in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. • Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the SMM saw members of the State Emergency Service conducting demining activities.