Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 20 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 and Luhansk regions.
• The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area.
• The SMM saw weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The Mission continued to observe long queues of civilians travelling across the contact line near Stanytsia Luhanska.
• The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repair works to essential civilian infrastructure and damaged houses in Marinka and Krasnohorivka. It continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station.
• The Mission observed convoys of trucks marked “Humanitarian Aid from the Russian Federation” in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. The SMM was also restricted near Izvaryne, an area of Luhansk region close to the border with the Russian Federation.*

Ceasefire violations[1]

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including, however, fewer explosions (about 200), compared with the previous reporting period (about 350 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded in areas south and west of Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk) and in areas south, south-east and south-west of Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk).

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including about 130 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (six explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded in areas north-east of Holubivka (formerly Kirovsk, non-government-controlled, 51km west of Luhansk), west and north of Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, non-government-controlled, 50km west of Luhansk), as well as in areas south-west of Khoroshe (non-government-controlled, 36km west of Luhansk).

Disengagement areas[2]

On the night of 19-20 December, while on the north-eastern edge of Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk), the SMM heard two undetermined explosions at an assessed range of 1-2km south-west (assessed as outside the disengagement area) and two undetermined explosions at an assessed range of 3-5km south (unable to assess whether inside or outside the disengagement area).

During the day on 20 December, positioned close to the disengagement area near Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk), the SMM observed a calm situation.

Withdrawal of weapons

The Mission 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

20 December

• A mortar (probable 2B16 Nona-K, 120mm or M120-15 Molot, 120mm) on the western edge of Orlivka (22km north-west of Donetsk), heading west
• 24 self-propelled howitzers (17 2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm and seven 2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm) at a railway station in Bakhmut (formerly Artemivsk, 67km north of Donetsk)
• An anti-tank gun (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) about 1.5km south-east of Zolotarivka (85km north-west of Luhansk), heading south

Beyond the withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites

Government-controlled areas

20 December

• Two anti-tank guided missile systems (9P148 Konkurs, 135mm), 14 tanks (T-64) and six anti-tank guns (MT-12) parked at a railway station in Rubizhne (84km north-west of Luhansk); two additional anti-tank guided missile systems (9P148), heading south-east from the railway station
• Three anti-tank guns (MT-12) and seven tanks (T-64) in Lysychansk (75km north-west of Luhansk)

Indications of military and military-type presence in the security zone[3]

Government-controlled areas

19 December

• An SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted:
  • four infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), two armoured personnel carriers (APC) (BTR-70), an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRM-1K) and an armoured ambulance (MT-LB S) in Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk)

20 December

• An APC (BTR-60) near Popasna (69km west of Luhansk)
• Four IFVs (BMP-2) near Vrubivka (72km west of Luhansk)
• Two IFVs (one BMP-1 and one BMP-2) near Kamianka (20km north of Donetsk)

Non-government-controlled areas

20 December

• Two APCs (type undetermined) in a compound on the north-eastern edge of Luhansk city
• An SMM mini-UAV spotted:
  • an APC (MT-LB variant) on the eastern edge of Sentianivka (formerly Frunze, 44km west of Luhansk).

Long queues of civilians travelling across the contact line near Stanytsia Luhanska

At 09:40 on 20 December, at the checkpoint of the armed formations south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (15km north-east of Luhansk), the SMM again saw about 1,500 people queuing to travel toward government-controlled areas and people crossing but no queue in the opposite direction. At about 12:15, at the entry-exit checkpoint north of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, it observed about 700 people queuing to enter government-controlled areas and people crossing but no queue in the opposite direction. A woman (in her forties) told the SMM that it had taken her and her family about three and a half hours to cross from non-government- to government-controlled areas. According to her, the length of the queue and the waiting times were unusual.

SMM facilitation of repair works to civilian infrastructure

The Mission 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), water pipelines near Popasna and near Zalizne (government-controlled, 42km north-east of Donetsk), the phenol sludge reservoir near Zalizne, as well as to damaged houses in government-controlled Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk) and Krasnohorivka (21km west of Donetsk). The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable an inspection of power lines near government-controlled Troitske (69km west of Luhansk) and Novozvanivka (70km west of Luhansk). The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk).

Border areas not under government control

While at a border crossing point near Izvaryne (52km south-east of Luhansk) for about 20 minutes, the SMM saw 42 cars (26 with Ukrainian and 12 with Russian Federation licence plates as well as four with “LPR” plates), 45 covered cargo trucks (17 with Ukrainian, five with Russian Federation, 17 with Belarusian licence plates as well as six with “LPR” plates) and 20 people (mixed ages and genders) in a queue to exit Ukraine. The SMM also saw five pedestrians (four males and a female aged 30-60) entering Ukraine. After about 20 minutes, a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.*

While at a border crossing point near Verkhnoharasymivka (57km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw seven pedestrians (five men aged 40-60 and two women aged 30-50) exiting Ukraine and one pedestrian (male, aged 60-70) entering Ukraine.

While at a border crossing point near Sievernyi (50km south-east of Luhansk) for about 30 minutes, the SMM saw three pedestrians (women, aged 35-60) entering Ukraine and no traffic in the opposite direction.

Convoys marked with “Humanitarian Aid from the Russian Federation” in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions

On the morning of 20 December, in Donetsk city, the SMM saw a convoy of 30 white cargo trucks (all with Russian Federation licence plates) with “Humanitarian aid from the Russian Federation” written in Russian on their trailer canopies, as well as a car with “DPR” plates and seven vehicles marked “MChS” (with white-on-black “DPR” plates), entering a warehouse on Baumana Street. A few hours later, the SMM saw a convoy, assessed as the same one previously observed in Donetsk city, on road H20 about 5km east on Makiivka (12km north-east of Donetsk) heading east.

On the same morning, on the southern outskirts of Luhansk city, the SMM observed a convoy arriving from a southerly direction. The convoy consisted of two cars (with Russian Federation licence plates), a white van (no markings, undetermined licence plates), two white trucks (with Russian Federation licence plates), 17 cargo white trucks, of which many had “Humanitarian aid from Russian Federation” written in Russian on the trailer canopies (with Russian Federation licence plates) and two cars marked “MChS” (with Russian Federation licence plates). The SMM saw the convoy entering a compound at 2a Rudnieva Street in Luhansk city. The SMM also observed the same convoy earlier on the same morning in Izvaryne, heading north. (For previous observations of a similar convoy, see SMM Daily Report 26 October 2018.)

Other developments

In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a gathering of about 1,000 people (mostly women, aged 40-70) in front of the Parliament building at 5 Hrushevskoho Street. The SMM observed some of the people praying and others holding banners critical of certain draft laws proposed to introduce changes on how certain religious organizations would be named. The SMM also saw at least 250 National Guard officers and 200 police officers in front of Parliament, as well as 12 National Guard trucks, four police buses and six police cars parked nearby. It observed no incidents during its presence.

The Mission continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, 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 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:

• At a border crossing point near Izvaryne, a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.

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 checkpoints near Pyshchevyk and Maiorsk were not operational.

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