Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 26 August 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region between the evenings of 24 and 25 August, compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 25 and 26 August, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM followed up on a civilian casualty in Vrubivka. The Mission saw fresh damage caused by shelling to civilian properties in residential areas of Vrubivka and Staromykhailivka. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska and Petrivske disengagement areas. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas, as well as in Marinka, Zaichenko, Yasne and close to Novoazovsk, Izvaryne and Voznesenivka near the border with the Russian Federation.* The SMM observed that the entry-exit checkpoint in Maiorsk remained closed. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to water infrastructure near Pervomaisk and Zolote, repairs to residential houses in Avdiivka, as well as demining in Berezove.

In Donetsk region, between the evenings of 24 and 25 August, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations[1], including about 240 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 70 explosions). Between the evenings of 25 and 26 August, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including about 70 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours.

On the evening and night of 24-25 August, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk) recorded two undetermined explosions and 47 projectiles in flight, all 0.8-2.5km south, south-south-east and south-south-west. On the evening and night of 25-26 August, the same camera recorded 13 undetermined explosions and 51 projectiles in flight, all 1-4km at directions ranging from south-east to south-west.

On the evening of 24 August, the SMM camera east of Lomakyne (government-controlled, 15km north-east of Mariupol) recorded 17 undetermined explosions, 67 projectiles in flight and an illumination flare, all 2-4km at directions ranging from north-east to south-east.

On the evening and night of 24-25 August, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk) recorded 47 undetermined explosions and about 120 projectiles in flight, all 2-4km at directions ranging from north to south-west.

On the evening and night of 25-26 August, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in Maiorsk (government-controlled, 45km north-east of Donetsk), recorded two undetermined explosions, 49 projectiles in flight and two illuminations flares, all 1-4km east-north-east and east.

On the evening and night of 24 August, while in Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard about 70 undetermined explosions and about 70 shots and bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 2-5km south-east and south-south-east. On the evening of 25 August, while at the same location, the SMM heard about 50 undetermined explosions and about 120 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 4-6km south-east.

During the day on 25 August, positioned on the south-eastern edge of Avdiivka (government-controlled, 17km north of Donetsk), the SMM heard 36 undetermined explosions and about 110 shots and bursts of small-arms and heavy-machine-gun fire, all 2-5km at directions ranging from east to south.

During the day on 25 August, positioned at the railway station in Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 50 undetermined explosions and about 70 shots and bursts of small-arms fire, all 2-3km south-west and west.

In Luhansk region, between the evenings of 24 and 25 August, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including five explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 75 explosions). Between the evenings of 25 and 26 August, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including about ten explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours.

The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian casualty. On 25 August, medical staff at a morgue in Lysychansk (government-controlled, 75km north-west of Luhansk) told the SMM that the body of a man (aged 35), a resident of Vrubivka (government-controlled, 72km west of Luhansk), had been brought to the morgue on the morning of 24 August. Medical staff added that the man had died on the morning of 24 August due to wounds to his lower abdomen and severe damage to internal organs following a blast. Medical staff also told the SMM that relatives of the deceased had recounted that the man had sustained his wounds during shelling while he had been at his house at 2/1 Shkilna Street in Vrubivka and had died in an ambulance while on the way to a hospital. In Vrubivka, a representative of the local administration told the SMM that the man had died during shelling, which had occurred in the area on the morning of 24 August. (See impact site section below.) 

The SMM followed up on reports of fresh damage caused by shelling to civilian properties in residential areas of Vrubivka and Staromykhailivka (non-government-controlled, 15km west of Donetsk). On 24 August, at 2/1 Shkilna Street in Vrubivka (see above), the SMM saw fresh damage to the roof of a one-storey house, which had collapsed, and that four south-western-facing windows had been shattered. The SMM could not assess the calibre of the weapon used or the direction of fire. A resident of 14/1 Shkilna Street told the SMM that shelling had occurred in the area at around 05:00 on 24 August.

In a field about 10m north-east of the house at 2/1 Shkilna Street, the SMM saw a fresh crater, assessed as caused by a 122mm artillery round fired from a south-easterly direction. At 5 Shkilna Street, about 15m west-south-west of the aforementioned crater, the SMM saw two shattered north-facing windows and fresh shrapnel damage to the west-facing outer wall of a two-storey residential house. The SMM could not assess the calibre of the weapon used or the direction of fire.  

At 7 Shkilna Street, the SMM saw a fresh crater in the tarmac about 15m north-east of a two-storey residential house, assessed as caused by a 122mm artillery round fired from a south-easterly direction. The SMM also saw fresh shrapnel damage to the south-western-facing outer wall of the aforementioned house and 12 shattered south-facing windows. 

The SMM saw a military compound about 1km south of the aforementioned impact sites in Vrubivka.

On 24 August an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted fresh damage to a residential house with a destroyed roof and chimney, assessed as caused by the impact of an artillery (probable 152mm) round, in Vrubivka, the same area where the SMM saw fresh impact sites (see above). 

On 26 August, in Staromykhailivka, the SMM saw a fresh crater in a yard about 20m west of a church at 7 Kalinina Street and 4m south of a one-storey building adjacent to the church. The SMM saw fresh holes in the west-facing outer wall of the church. It also saw that three south-facing windows of the one-storey building had been shattered and that a south-facing door of the same building had sustained fresh shrapnel damage. The SMM assessed the damage as caused by a projectile of an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) fired from a south-westerly direction.

At 29 Lenina Street in Staromykhailivka, the SMM saw that three south-facing windows of a one-storey house had been shattered. It also saw fresh shrapnel damage to the furniture inside the house. The SMM assessed the damage as caused by a projectile of an IFV (BMP-2) fired from a south-westerly direction.

The SMM continued to monitor and to pursue full access to the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk), Zolote (60km west of Luhansk) and Petrivske (41km south of Donetsk)[2], as foreseen in the Framework Decision of the Trilateral Contact Group relating to disengagement of forces and hardware of 21 September 2016. The SMM’s access remained restricted, but the Mission was able to partially monitor them.*

On the night of 24-25 August, while on the eastern edge of Stanytsia Luhanska, the SMM heard three undetermined explosions 3-5km south-east and south-west (assessed as outside the disengagement area). During the day on 25 August, positioned inside the disengagement area south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (15km north-east of Luhansk), the SMM heard an undetermined explosion and a shot of small-arms fire 300-500m south-east (assessed as inside the disengagement area). On the evening and night of 25-26 August, while on the eastern edge of Stanytsia Luhanska, the SMM heard ten shots of small-arms fire 2km south-east and an undetermined explosion 5km south-west (all assessed as outside the disengagement area).

During the day on 25 August, positioned near the Petrivske and Zolote disengagement areas, the SMM observed a calm situation.

During the day on 26 August, positioned about 2km north of Petrivske, the SMM heard an undetermined explosion 2-4km south-south-west (assessed as inside the disengagement area).

During the day on 26 August, positioned inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and near the Zolote disengagement area, the SMM observed a calm situation.

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

The SMM observed weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage did not comply with the criteria set out in the 16 October 2015 notification from the SMM to the signatories of the Package of Measures on effective monitoring and verification of the withdrawal of heavy weapons. In two sites in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions beyond the respective withdrawal lines, the SMM observed 11 towed howitzers (five 2A65 Msta-B, 152mm and six D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm), ten self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) and ten multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) (BM-21 Grad, 122mm). It also noted that six towed howitzers (one 2A65 and five D-30), three self-propelled howitzers (2S1) and four MLRS (BM-21) continued to be missing.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles[3] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, on 24 August an SMM long-range UAV spotted an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (MT-LB) in Krasnohorivka (21km west of Donetsk), an APC (BTR variant) near Berezove (31km south-west of Donetsk), two APCs (BTR-80) near Novoselivka Druha (69km south of Donetsk) and an IFV (BMP-2) near Pavlopil (84km south of Donetsk). On 26 August, the SMM saw two armoured reconnaissance vehicles (BRDM-2) in Bobrove (56km north-west of Luhansk).

In non-government-controlled areas, on 24 August an SMM mini-UAV spotted two IFVs (BMP-2) and 11 APCs (MT-LB) in Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, 50km west of Luhansk). On the same day, an SMM long-range UAV spotted an IFV (BMP-2) near Staromykhailivka.

The SMM observed fresh craters. On 24 August, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted about 40 craters, about 20 of which appeared to be fresh, assessed as caused by mortar (82mm and 120mm) and artillery (122mm and 152mm) rounds on Marshala Konieva Street, in a residential area on the north-western outskirts of Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk). On 24 August an SMM long-range UAV spotted a residential house on fire on Lohozinskoho Street in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) and a fire in a multi-storey apartment building on Stratonativ Street, adjacent to a heavily damaged industrial area in the north-western outskirts of Donetsk city. (See SMM Daily Report of 24 August 2018.)

The SMM observed the presence of mines and mine hazard signs. On 25 August, the SMM saw for the first time an anti-tank mine (TM-62) near the southern edge of a road leading from the entry-exit checkpoint near Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol) to a checkpoint 700m west of Verkhnoshyrokivske (formerly Oktiabr, non-government-controlled, 29km north-east of Mariupol).

On 26 August, the SMM saw for the first time a square mine hazard sign near a road on the south-eastern edge of Yasne (non-government-controlled, 30km south-west of Donetsk).

The SMM continued to monitor the freedom of movement of civilians. The SMM followed up on the closure of the entry-exit checkpoint in Maiorsk since 23 August (see SMM Daily Report of 25 August 2018). On 25 and 26 August, the SMM saw no traffic in either direction. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer to the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination (JCCC) told the SMM that the entry-exit checkpoint would temporarily remain closed due to recent shelling.

The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the DFS, including through monitoring adherence to the ceasefire. Positioned in areas near the station, the SMM recorded ceasefire violations, despite explicit security guarantees (see the table below).

The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to a water pipeline near Pervomaisk (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk) and near Zolote. The Mission also continued to facilitate and monitor adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to residential houses in Avdiivka and again demining to a 100-square-metre area on the western edge of Berezove.

The SMM visited four border areas not under government control. On 25 August, while at a border crossing point near Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk) for about one hour, the SMM saw 73 cars (26 with Ukrainian, 29 with Russian Federation and two with Lithuanian licence plates, as well as 16 with “DPR” plates), 14 covered cargo trucks (nine with Ukrainian and one with Belarusian licence plates, as well as four with “DPR” plates) and one bus with “DPR” plates in a queue to exit Ukraine. The SMM also saw nine cars (one with Ukrainian and five with Russian Federation licence plates, as well as three with “DPR” plates), eight covered cargo trucks (six with Ukrainian licence plates and two with “DPR” plates) and three tank trucks with “DPR” plates and a bus with “DPR” plates entering Ukraine.

On 25 August, while at a border crossing point near Ulianivske (61km south-east of Donetsk) for about 20 minutes, the SMM saw no traffic in either direction.

On 26 August, while at a border crossing point near Izvaryne (52 km south-east of Luhansk) for about five minutes, the SMM saw 55 cars (13 with Ukrainian, 37 with Russian Federation, one with Georgian and one with Lithuanian license plates, as well as three with “LPR” plates), 16 covered cargo trucks (13 with Ukrainian license plates and three with “LPR” plates), and 22 pedestrians (11 men and 11 women, aged 40-50) in a queue to exit Ukraine. The SMM saw a bus with “LPR” plates and a group of children on board entering Ukraine. A member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.*

On 26 August, while at a border crossing point near Voznesenivka (formerly Chervonopartyzansk, 65km south-east of Luhansk) for about ten minutes, the SMM saw 32 cars (16 with Ukrainian, 13 with Russian Federation, one with Georgian and one with Lithuanian licence plates, as well as one with “LPR” plates), five covered cargo trucks (four with Ukrainian license plates and one with “LPR” plates), one bus with Ukrainian license plates, and eight pedestrians in a queue to exit Ukraine. The SMM observed ten pedestrians (eight men and two women, aged 30-40) entering Ukraine. A member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.*

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi and Kyiv.

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

The SMM’s monitoring and freedom of movement are restricted by security hazards and threats, including risks posed by mines, unexploded ordnance (UXO) 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 of the SMM’s freedom of movement constitutes a violation, and on the need for rapid response to these violations. They have also agreed that the JCCC should contribute to such response and co-ordinate mine clearance. Nonetheless, the armed formations in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions frequently deny the SMM access to areas adjacent to Ukraine’s border outside control of the Government (for example, see below). The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remain restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April 2017 near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations.

Denial of access:

• On 25 and 26 August, at a checkpoint 800m north of Zaichenko (nongovernment-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol), an armed member of the armed formations again stopped the SMM and denied it passage westward to Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, nongovernment-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol) and southward to Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol) citing “orders not to allow the SMM passage”.
• On 25 August, at a checkpoint near Novoazovsk (nongovernment-controlled, 40km east of Mariupol), two armed members of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage.
• On 25 August, on road H15 near the entry-exit checkpoint in Marinka, a Ukrainian State Border Guard Service officer told the SMM that it could not conduct a UAV flight over the area, citing that “his superiors had not received notification about the work of the SMM or UAV flights in the area.”
• On 26 August, an armed member of the armed formations denied the SMM access to a street in Yasne, citing “orders from his superiors”.
• On 26 August, at a border crossing point near Izvaryne, a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area, citing “orders from his superiors”. 
• On 26 August, at a border crossing point near Voznesenivka, a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area, citing “orders from his superiors”. 

Regular restrictions related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• On 25 and 26 August, the SMM was prevented from accessing parts of the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, with the exception of the main road, due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC on both occasions.[4]
• On 25 and 26 August, the SMM was prevented from accessing secondary roads in the Zolote disengagement area due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM by telephone that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC on both occasions.5
• On 25 and 26 August, the SMM was prevented from accessing secondary roads south of the Zolote disengagement area due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A member of the armed formations positioned on the southern side of the Zolote disengagement area told the SMM that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed.

Conditional access:

• At a checkpoint on the eastern edge of Novolaspa (non-government-controlled, 50km south of Donetsk), an armed member of the armed formations allowed the SMM to proceed to the village on the condition that the SMM vehicles followed behind his car.

Other impediments:

On 25 August, the SMM temporarily lost communication with its mini UAV flying over an area near Chermalyk (government-controlled, 31km north-east of Mariupol), assessed as due to jamming. The SMM landed the UAV safely.[5]

[1] For a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table.

* Please see the section at the end of this report entitled “Restrictions of SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to fulfilment of its mandate”.

[2] Due to presence of mines, including those on a road between Bohdanivka and Petrivske, the SMM’s access to its camera in Petrivske remains limited; thus, the review of the camera footage may take place days later.

[3] This hardware is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.

[4] The SMM informed Ukrainian Armed Forces officers of the JCCC. Russian Federation Armed Forces officers of the JCCC have withdrawn from the JCCC as of 18 December 2017.

[5] The interference could have originated from anywhere within the radius of several kilometres of the UAV’s position.