Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 29 October 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM observed weapons in violation of agreed withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Zaichenko, Kozatske, Yuzhna-Lomuvatka and Bezimenne.* The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable demining activities near Nyzhnoteple and Zolote-2/Karbonit. It facilitated repairs to civilian infrastructure in Berehove and near Artema and to residential houses in Marinka and Krasnohorivka.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations[1], including about 230 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours (about 270 explosions).

On the evening and night of 28-29 October, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk) recorded 24 explosions (one assessed as an airburst, one as an impact of an undetermined weapon round and the remainder undetermined) and about 70 projectiles in flight (mostly from westerly to easterly directions), all 0.5-3km at southerly directions.

On the evening of 28 October, while in Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard about 50 undetermined explosions and about 440 bursts and shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 3-7km at southerly directions. On the morning of 29 October, while in the same location, the SMM heard about 20 undetermined explosions and about 50 bursts and shots of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 3-5km south.

On the evening and night of 28-29 October, the SMM camera 1.5km north-east of Hnutove (government-controlled, 20km north-east of Mariupol) recorded about 20 undetermined explosions and about 335 projectiles in flight (mostly from north to south and from south to north), all 2-6km in easterly directions.

On the morning of 29 October, positioned about 1km north-west of the railway station in Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk) for about six hours, the SMM heard about 30 undetermined explosions and about 65 bursts and shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 1-3km south-west and north-west.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including 25 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours (eight explosions).

On the evening of 28 October, the SMM camera in Kriakivka (government-controlled, 38km north-west of Luhansk) recorded ten undetermined explosions and 15 projectiles in flight (from east-north-east to west-north-west), all 2-4km south-south-west.

The SMM continued to monitor and to pursue full access to the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk), Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) and Petrivske[2] (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), 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.*

In the early morning hours of 29 October, while on the eastern edge of Stanytsia Luhanska, the SMM heard two shots of small-arms fire 4-5km south-south-east (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

During the day on 29 October, positioned on the northern outskirts of Zolote-4/Rodina (government-controlled, 59km west of Luhansk) for about five minutes, the SMM heard three shots of small-arms fire 1-2km east (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

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

In violation of withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas, on 28 October, an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted two self-propelled howitzers (2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm) near Illinka (38km west of Donetsk). On 29 October, the SMM saw three anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) towed by trucks near Oknyne (53km north-west of Luhansk).

In violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas, on 28 October, an SMM mini-UAV spotted three tanks (T-64) near Novohryhorivka (33km west of Luhansk) and a tank (T-72) and a probable tank (undetermined variant) near Khoroshe (36km west of Luhansk).

Beyond the respective withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites in government-controlled areas, on 29 October, the SMM saw four towed howitzers (2A65 Msta-B, 152mm) at the train station in Rubizhne (84km north-west of Luhansk) and two towed howitzers (D-44, 85mm) near Smolianynove (61km north-west of Luhansk).

The SMM revisited a permanent storage site whose location was beyond the respective withdrawal lines in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region and noted that four tanks (three T-64 and one T-72) were again missing.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles (ACV),[3] an anti-aircraft gun and a radio intelligence system in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, on 28 October, an SMM long-range UAV spotted an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-2) near Pobeda (27km west of Donetsk), an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (MT-LB) and two IFVs (BMP-2) near Taramchuk (29km south-west of Donetsk), four IFVs (BMP-2) and an APC (BTR-70) near Berezove (31km south-west of Donetsk), an APC (BTR-80) and a probable armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) near Verkhnotoretske (23km north-east of Donetsk), three APCs (BTR variants) near Yurivka (35km north of Donetsk) and two ACVs (undetermined variants) near Novhorodske (35km north of Donetsk).

In non-government-controlled areas, on 26 October, an SMM mini-UAV spotted an APC (MT-LB) near Stare (58km west of Luhansk). On 27 October, an SMM mini-UAV spotted an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) and an ACV (type undetermined) near Zemliane (11km north-west of Luhansk). On 28 October, an SMM mini-UAV spotted two probable APCs (BTR-80) and again spotted a TORN radio intelligence system mounted on a truck near Khoroshe (see above). On 29 October, the SMM saw an APC (MT-LB) with a mounted heavy machine gun behind a damaged house near the centre of Lukove (72km south of Donetsk) and two IFVs (BMP variants) in Mykhailivka (30km north-east of Donetsk).

The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable demining activities near Nyzhnoteple (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk) and Zolote-2/Karbonit (government-controlled, 62km west of Luhansk), as well as repairs to power lines in Berehove (non-government-controlled, 23km east of Luhansk), to the Petrivske water pumping station near Artema (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk) and to damaged houses in Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk) and Krasnohorivka (government-controlled, 21km west of Donetsk). The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the DFS. A Voda Donbassa water company representative told the SMM that all repairs to a water pipeline between Toretsk (government-controlled, 43km north of Donetsk) and Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk) had been completed. A staff member of the military-civil administration of Avdiivka (government-controlled, 17km north of Donetsk) told the SMM that repairs to houses in the city had been completed.

The SMM visited a border area not under government control. While at a border crossing point near Marynivka (non-government-controlled, 78km east of Donetsk) for about 50 minutes, the SMM observed 22 cars (five with Ukrainian and ten with Russian Federation licence plates, and seven with “DPR” plates), a pedestrian (man, aged 30-40) and a bus (with “DPR” plates) exiting Ukraine, and 21 cars (six with Ukrainian, seven with Russian Federation and one with Armenian licence plates, and seven with “DPR” plates) and four pedestrians (women, aged 50-70) entering Ukraine.

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

*Restrictions of 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 Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (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, SMM Daily Report 26 October 2018). 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.

Denials of access:

• At a checkpoint about 1km north of Zaichenko (non-government-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol), two armed members of the armed formations again stopped the SMM and denied it passage west to Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol) and south to Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol), citing “orders from their superiors”.
• At a checkpoint in Kozatske (non-government-controlled, 36km north-east of Mariupol), an armed member of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage towards Porokhnia (non-government-controlled, 40km north-east of Mariupol). While present at the checkpoint, the SMM observed civilian vehicles passing through in both directions.
• At a checkpoint in Yuzhna-Lomuvatka (non-government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk), a member of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage, citing “demining and engineering works” in the area.
• At a compound in Bezimenne (non-government-controlled, 30km east of Mariupol), two members of the armed formations again denied the SMM access to the compound, citing “orders from their superiors”.

Regular restrictions related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• 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 informed 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.[4]
• 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 informed 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. [4]
• 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 informed the SMM that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed.
• At a checkpoint of the armed formations south of the bridge in Shchastia (government-controlled, 20km north of Luhansk), the SMM was prevented from proceeding north due to the presence of mines and UXO. A member of the armed formations told the SMM that no demining had taken place. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed.

Other impediments:

• An SMM mini-UAV temporarily lost its GPS signal due to signal interference[5] on two occasions near Chermalyk (government-controlled, 31km north-east of Mariupol).

[1] Please see the annexed table for a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations as well as a map of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions marked with locations featured in this report.

[2] Due to the presence of mines, including on a road between Bohdanivka and Petrivske, the SMM’s access to its camera in Petrivske remains limited, and thus the SMM has not been able to access observations from the camera since 22 June 2018.

[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 withdrew from the JCCC as of 18 December 2017.

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