Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 18 December 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region.
• The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas.
• It observed demining activities near government-controlled Shyrokyi and Krasna Talivka.
• The SMM continued to observe hardship faced by civilians at checkpoints along the contact line.
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure as well as damaged houses in Marinka and Krasnohorivka. It continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station.
• In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a public gathering related to gender issues.
• Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas.*

Ceasefire violations[1]

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including about 80 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 70 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded in areas south-east and south of Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk) and south-east of Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk). The SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk) recorded about 20 ceasefire violations, including an explosion assessed as an impact at an assessed range of 30-50m south.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including nine explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 200 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded in areas south-south-west of Kriakivka (government-controlled, 38km north-west of Luhansk). 

Disengagement areas[2]

On the evening of 17 December, the SMM camera in Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) recorded eight projectiles in flight from north to south at an assessed range of 2-4km east-north-east (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

A member of the armed formations on the southern edge of the Zolote disengagement area told the SMM that a previously observed mine (TM-62 variant) next to road T1316 (see SMM Daily Report 14 December 2018) had been removed on 17 December. However, on 18 December, the SMM saw the mine still present at the previously observed location. (This was the second time that the SMM observed the continued presence of the same mine after having been told of its removal. The Mission had informed the armed formations of the presence of the mine several times.)

On 18 December, the SMM observed a remnant of a probable RPG-27 grenade 2m east of road T1316, about 1km north-west of the checkpoint of the armed formations on the southern edge of the Zolote disengagement area.

In the late afternoon of 18 December, the SMM camera at the Prince Ihor Monument south-east of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (15km north-east of Luhansk) recorded an undetermined explosion at an assessed range of 3-6km north-west (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

During the day on 18 December, positioned near Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), the SMM observed a calm situation in the disengagement area.[3]

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

Government-controlled areas

18 December

• Three self-propelled howitzers (2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm) at the railway station in Kostiantynivka (60km north of Donetsk) 

Beyond the withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites

Government-controlled areas

18 December

• A self-propelled anti-aircraft system (2K22 Tunguska) near Kostiantynivka
• Nine surface-to-air missile systems (9K35 Strela-10) at the railway station in Kostiantynivka
• Four multiple launch rocket systems (BM-21 Grad, 122mm) near Rivnopil (86km west of Donetsk)
• Five tanks (T-64) at the railway station in Rubizhne (84km north-west of Luhansk)

Indications of military and military-type presence in the security zone[4]

Government-controlled areas

18 December

• An anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) near Novozvanivka (70km west of Luhansk) 

Non-government-controlled areas

17 December

An SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle spotted:

• an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1) near Nadarivka (64km west of Luhansk). 18 December

• An armoured personnel carrier (MT-LB) near Smile (31km north-west of Luhansk)
• Four to five armoured combat vehicles (type undetermined) in Luhansk city 

Demining and mine hazard signs

The SMM saw eight members of an international demining organization (all in protective equipment) preparing for demining along a road on the northern edge of Shyrokyi (government-controlled, 38km north-east of Luhansk). The Mission saw three additional de-miners from the same organization in protective equipment preparing for demining along a road on the northern edge of Krasna Talivka (government-controlled, 51km north-east of Luhansk).

The SMM followed up on reports of demining conducted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in areas on the eastern side of the road between Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk) and Novomykhailivka (government-controlled, 28km south-west of Donetsk). The Mission observed the areas marked off with sticks with vinyl ribbons attached to them.

The SMM observed two mine new hazard signs with a skull and crossbones and “Stop Mines” written in Russian on both sides of a road on the south-western edge of Kruta Hora (non-government-controlled, 16km north-west of Luhansk) and four similar signs on both sides of road P-66 about 3km north-west of Novoselivka (non-government-controlled, 16km west of Luhansk).

Hardship faced by civilians at checkpoints along the contact line

At the checkpoint of the armed formations south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, at 09:40, the SMM saw about 1,500 people queuing to travel towards government-controlled areas and about 30 queuing in the opposite direction. The Mission saw another 150 people queuing at a nearby bus stop. About four hours later, at the entry-exit checkpoint north of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the SMM observed about 350 people queuing to exit government-controlled areas and about 1,000 people queuing in the opposite direction. Three people (two men and a woman in their seventies) told the Mission that they had waited two and a half hours to pass through the checkpoint of the armed formations and another hour and a half to cross the entry-exit checkpoint.

SMM facilitation of repairs to civilian infrastructure

The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to the Petrivske water pumping station near Artema (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk), to a water pipeline near Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk), to the Krasnohorivka gas distribution station between Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk) and Oleksandrivka (non-government-controlled, 20km south-west of Donetsk) and to damaged houses in Marinka and Krasnohorivka (government-controlled, 21km west of Donetsk). It continued to facilitate the operation of the DFS.

Public gathering in Kyiv

In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a public gathering of about 100 people (mostly young men) in front of the Cabinet of Ministers building. Some of them were holding flags of Sokil, Tradition and Order and Volunteer Movement OUN, as well as banners with messages critical of the Government’s approach on certain gender issues. The SMM saw some of the participants light at least five smoke or light canisters and about 30 law enforcement officers in front of the main gate of the building. The gathering dispersed peacefully.

Other observations

On 17 December, the SMM observed a calm situation at the crossing point in Chonhar (163km south-east of Kherson).

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

*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 SMM Daily Report 18 December 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:

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] For a complete breakdown of ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table. During the reporting period, the SMM cameras in Krasnohorivka and at the entry-exit checkpoint in Pyshchevyk were not operational.

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

[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] Due to the presence of mines, including 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.

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