Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 2 December 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

Summary

• Between the evenings of 30 November and 1 December, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period.
• Between the evenings of 1 and 2 December, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours.
• The SMM observed fresh damage in a residential area of Zolote-5/Mykhailivka.
• The SMM observed military presence inside the Zolote disengagement area.
• The SMM again observed multiple launch rocket systems in violation of the withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region.
• The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas. It was also restricted near Zaichenko, Sosnivske and Novoazovsk, as well as near Voznesenivka, an area close to the border with the Russian Federation.*

Ceasefire violations[1]

In Donetsk region, between the evenings of 30 November and 1 December, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including about 60 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 185 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded south-east of Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk) and north-east of Lebedynske (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Mariupol).

Between the evenings of 1 and 2 December, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including, however, more explosions (about 90), compared with the previous 24 hours. The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded in areas south-east of Svitlodarsk and west and south-west of Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk).

In Luhansk region, between the evenings of 30 November and 1 December, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations (no explosions), compared with the previous reporting period (about 115 explosions). Between the evenings of 1 and 2 December, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including eight explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours.

Fresh damage in a residential area of Zolote-5/Mykhailivka

On 1 December, the SMM observed fresh damage to a civilian property in a residential area of Zolote-5/Mykhailivka (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk), assessed as caused by an explosion of an undetermined weapon round fired from a southerly direction. At 42 Kotovskoho Street, the SMM saw a one-storey house with four south-facing windows broken (and covered in plastic sheeting) and burn marks on its south-facing wall. The SMM also saw a south-facing fence 2m south of the house with broken wooden planks. It observed a tailfin of a recoilless-gun round on the ground 2m south of the house. A resident (woman, aged 70) told the SMM that she had been inside the house on 26 November around 13:30 when shelling had occurred in the area and her house had been hit.

Disengagement areas[2]

During the day on 1 December, the SMM observed a calm situation in the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk). During the day on 2 December, positioned at the forward position of the Ukrainian Armed Forces north of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the Mission again saw a blue laser light about 800m south.

During the day on 1 December, inside the disengagement area near Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk), the SMM saw, on two occasions, two Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel inside a military ambulance exiting the disengagement area and heading north. It also saw an armed Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel walking inside the disengagement area on the eastern edge of Katerynivka (government-controlled, 64km west of Luhansk). On the morning of 2 December, positioned on the south-eastern edge of Zolote-5/Mykhailivka, the SMM heard three explosions 3-4km north, assessed as outside the disengagement area.

During the day on 1 December, the SMM observed a calm situation in the disengagement area near Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk). On the morning of 2 December, positioned about 2km north of Petrivske, the SMM heard three shots of small-arms fire 2km south-south-east, assessed as outside the disengagement area.

Withdrawal of weapons

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 the withdrawal lines

Non-government-controlled areas:

1 December:

• An SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted 22 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) (BM-21 Grad, 122mm) west of Bokovo-Platove (54km south-west of Luhansk) (see SMM Daily Report 1 December 2018).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside of designated storage sites

Government-controlled areas:

1 December:

• An SMM mini-UAV spotted four surface-to-air missile systems (9K35 Strela-10) near Tarasivka (43km north-west of Donetsk).

Non-government-controlled areas:

1 December:

A mini-UAV spotted:

• 17 towed howitzers (eight 2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm; and nine 2A65 Msta-B, 152mm) near Khrustalnyi (54km south-west of Luhansk); and
• six self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm), 11 towed howitzers (five 2A65 and six D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm) and four anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) west of Bokovo-Platove (see SMM Daily Report 1 December 2018).

Weapons that the SMM was unable to verify as withdrawn[3]

Weapons storage sites beyond the respective withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas of Luhansk region:

1 December:

• 15 towed howitzers (D-30) were present
• 12 MLRS (BM-21) and 12 self-propelled howitzers (2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm) remained missing

Indications of military presence in the security zone[4]

Government-controlled areas:

1 December:

• An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1) near Zolote
• An armoured personnel carrier (APC) (BRDM-2) near Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk)
• An IFV (BMP variant) near Zolote-3/Stakhanovets (61km west of Luhansk)
• An APC (BTR-4) near Novobakhmutivka (28km north of Donetsk)
• Two IFVs (BMP variant) near Berezove (31km south-west of Donetsk)

2 December:

• An IFV (BMP-1) in Orikhove-Donetske (44km north-west of Luhansk)
• An APC (BTR-80) in Pionerske (14km east of Mariupol)

Civilian infrastructure

On 1 December, the SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable assessment of a water pipeline near Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk) and another near Pervomaisk (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk). On 2 December, the SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable the assessment of a water pipeline near Popasna. On both days, the Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station.

Border areas not under government control

On 2 December, while at a border crossing point near Voznesenivka (formerly Chervonopartyzansk, 65km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw two pedestrians exiting Ukraine as well as two cars (one with Ukrainian and one with Russian Federation licence plates) and nine pedestrians, including two children, entering Ukraine. After ten minutes at the crossing point, a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.*

On the same day, while at a border crossing point near Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk) for about an hour, the SMM saw 19 trucks (cargo not visible) (17 with Ukrainian licence plates, two with “DPR” plates), two buses, two minivans (all four with Ukrainian licence plates) and 13 cars (nine with Ukrainian, two with Russian Federation, one with Lithuanian and one with Georgian licence plates) exiting Ukraine. The SMM also saw three buses (one with Ukrainian and one with Russian Federation licence plates, as well as one with “DPR” plates), 31 cars (six with Ukrainian and nine with Russian Federation licence plates, as well as 16 with “DPR” plates) and a minivan (with Ukrainian licence plates) entering Ukraine.

Other observations

On 30 November, the SMM saw about ten women (mixed ages) gathered inside the building of the Kherson Municipal Council at 37 Ushakova Street, some of them holding banners featuring statistics on domestic and gender-based violence at the municipal and national level. Participants told the SMM that they were calling on municipal officials to establish a shelter for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence.

The SMM continued monitoring in 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, 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.

Denials of access:

• On 1 December, at a checkpoint about 1km north of Zaichenko (non-government-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol), two armed members of the armed formations again prevented the SMM from traveling west toward Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol) and south toward Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol).
• On 1 December, at a checkpoint east of Sosnivske (non-government-controlled, 35km north-east of Mariupol), three armed members of the armed formations prevented the SMM from entering the village, citing “orders from their superiors”.
• On 2 December, at a border crossing point near Voznesenivka, a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.
• On 2 December, at a checkpoint at the northern entrance to Novoazovsk (non-government-controlled, 40km east of Mariupol), four members of the armed formations (three of them armed) again prevented the SMM from traveling south, citing “orders from their superiors”.

Regular restrictions related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

The sides continued to deny the SMM full access to the three disengagement areas, as well as the ability to travel certain roads previously identified as important for effective monitoring by the Mission and for civilians’ movement, through failure to conduct comprehensive clearance of mines and UXO.

[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. The SMM cameras in Hranitne and Krasnohorivka were not operational during the reporting period. The SMM camera located 1km south-west of Shyrokyne was not operational between the evenings of 30 November and 1 December.

[2] Disengagement is foreseen in the Framework Decision of the Trilateral Contact Group relating to disengagement of forces and hardware of 21 September 2016.

[3] 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.

[4] The hardware mentioned in this section is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.