Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 19 March 2019

This report is for the media and the general public.

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The Mission followed up on the explosion of a device in Luhansk city.
• The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area.
• The Mission observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line.
• The SMM spotted for the first time anti-tank mines near government-controlled Novoselivka.
• The Mission continued to observe hardship faced by civilians at checkpoints along the contact line.
• Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including at a permanent storage site and a heavy weapons holding area in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region and near non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske.
• In Kyiv, the SMM followed up on reports of arson at two stores. 

 

Ceasefire violations[1]

In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations, including, however, fewer explosions (about 75), compared with the previous reporting period (145 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded at southerly directions of Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk), assessed as possible live-fire exercise in violation of the ceasefire and the decision of the Trilateral Contact Group of 3 March 2016 that prohibits the conduct of live-fire training (exercises) in the security zone, and at south-easterly directions of Chermalyk (government-controlled, 31km north-east of Mariupol).

In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations, including about 890 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (ten explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations and explosions were recorded at southerly directions of Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk).

 

Explosion of device in Luhansk city

In Luhansk city, in a parking area adjacent to 55 Klubna Street, the SMM saw a crater surrounded by scorch marks and debris on the ground, as well as multiple cracks in the windscreen of a car in the parking area. About 15m from the crater, on the same street, the SMM saw eight shattered windows on the first, second and third floors of two five-storey apartment buildings. The SMM assessed the damage as caused by the explosion of an unknown device placed underneath a car in the abovementioned parking area. Four residents of one of the abovementioned buildings told the SMM that at around 01:00 on the night of 18-19 March, they had heard an explosion in the parking area and later observed damage to two cars at the same location.

Disengagement areas[2]

On the evening of 18 March, the SMM camera in Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) recorded three projectiles in flight at an assessed range of 2-4km south-east, assessed as inside the disengagement area.

During the day on 19 March, positioned about 2km north of Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), the SMM heard 25 bursts and shots of small-arms fire at an assessed range of 1-3km south and west, all assessed as outside the disengagement area.[3]

Positioned inside the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk) on 19 March, the SMM observed a calm situation.

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.

Weapons in violation

Government-controlled areas

19 March

The SMM saw:

• a surface-to-air missile system (9K33 Osa) near Roty (66km north-east of Donetsk) and
• an anti-tank gun (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) being towed by an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (MT-LB) near Zelene Pole (40km north-west of Donetsk).

Non-government-controlled areas

13 March

An SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted:

• a tank (T-64) about 60m from a residential building in Stepanivka (62km west of Luhansk) and
• a surface-to-air missile system (9K33) at a training area near Kalynove (60km west of Luhansk).

18 March

An SMM mini-UAV spotted three tanks (T-64) close to a probable mortar position next to houses in Verkhnoshyrokivske (formerly Oktiabr, 85km south of Donetsk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside of designated storage sites:

Government-controlled areas

18 March

An SMM mini-UAV spotted a surface-to-air missile system (9K35 Strela-10) near Peredove (68km south-west of Donetsk).

19 March

The SMM saw a surface-to-air missile system (9K37) and a tank (type unknown) in Vesele (87km north of Donetsk).

Non-government-controlled areas

19 March

The SMM saw six tanks (type unknown) firing in a training area near Ternove (57km east of Donetsk).

Weapons that the SMM could not verify as withdrawn[4]

At heavy weapons holding areas in government-controlled areas of Donetsk region

19 March

The SMM noted that:

• 31 tanks (T-64) were present and
• 12 mortars (PM-120/PM-38, 120mm), 18 towed howitzers (D-20, 152mm), 26 self-propelled howitzers (20 2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm and six 2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) and 80 tanks (T-64) remained missing.

At a heavy weapons holding area in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region

19 March

The SMM noted that the site was empty and seven self-propelled howitzers (2S1) remained missing.

Weapons permanent storage sites

At a permanent storage site in a government-controlled area of Donetsk region

19 March

The SMM noted that the site was abandoned and 13 anti-tank guns (MT-12) continued to be missing.

At a permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region

19 March

The SMM noted that the site was abandoned and ten tanks (seven T-64 and three T-72) continued to be missing.

Indications of military and military-type presence in the security zone[5]

Government-controlled areas

18 March

An SMM long-range UAV spotted three armoured combat vehicles (ACVs) (type undetermined) near Krasnohorivka (21km west of Donetsk).

An SMM mid-range UAV spotted:

• two infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) (BMP-2) and an APC (BTR-80) near Troitske (30km north of Donetsk) and
• an APC (BTR-80) near Novoselivka (31km north of Donetsk).

19 March

The SMM saw two armoured reconnaissance vehicles (BRDM-2) near Kapitanove (49km north-west of Luhansk).

Non-government-controlled areas

An SMM long-range UAV spotted:

• two IFVs (BMP-1) in Khreshchatytske (formerly Krasnoarmiiske, 86km south of Donetsk), in a zone within which deployment of heavy armament and military equipment is proscribed according to Point 5 of the Memorandum of 19 September 2014 and
• two ACVs (type undetermined) in Sosnivske (78km south of Donetsk).

An SMM mini-UAV spotted an IFV (BMP-2) near a checkpoint of the armed formations near Vesela Hora (16km north of Luhansk).

Mines seen for the first time near Novoselivka

On 18 March, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted for the first time at least 900 anti-tank mines (probable TM-62) laid out in three rows running from north to south over 2.7km, south of 92 recently observed anti-tank mines in a field about 3.5km east of Novoselivka, and about 2km further south, 41 anti-tank mines (probable TM-62) laid out over three rows from north to south close to previously observed mines (see SMM Daily Report 14 March 2019).   

Hardship for civilians at checkpoints along the contact line

At 11:30, at the entry-exit checkpoint north of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (15km north-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw around 150 people queuing to exit and around 550 people queuing to enter government-controlled areas. Staff at a medical aid facility told the SMM that on the morning of 18 March, an 86-year-old woman from Luhansk city had passed away at the facility after having lost consciousness while queuing to exit government-controlled areas.

At 09:30, at the checkpoint of the armed formations south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the SMM saw around 450 people queuing to enter and around 60 people queuing to exit government-controlled areas. At 12:10, the SMM observed the body of a deceased elderly woman being transferred into a mortuary vehicle.

SMM facilitation of repairs to civilian infrastructure

The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to the Petrivske water pumping station near Artema (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk) and to the water supply network near Donetskyi (non-government-controlled, 49km west of Luhansk), as well as to enable an assessment of a water conduit in Obozne (non-government-controlled, 18km north of Luhansk). The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) and to monitor the security situation around the pumping station near Vasylivka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Donetsk).

Border areas outside government control

While at a border crossing point near Marynivka (78km east of Donetsk) for about 30 minutes, the SMM saw 13 cars (six with Ukrainian and five with Russian Federation licence plates, and two with “DPR” plates”) entering Ukraine, and 15 cars (eight with Ukrainian and six with Russian Federation licence plates, and one with “DPR” plates), five trucks (three covered cargo and two open trailer with no visible cargo) (three with Ukrainian licence plates, and two with “DPR” plates”) and a bus (with “DPR” plates) exiting Ukraine.

While at a border crossing point near Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk) for about an hour, the SMM saw 19 cars (six with Ukrainian and eight with Russian Federation licence plates, and five with “DPR” plates), six trucks (five covered cargo and one fuel tanker) (three with Ukrainian and three with Russian Federation licence plates), a bus (with Ukrainian licence plates) and eight pedestrians entering Ukraine, and 41 cars (eight with Ukrainian, 18 with Russian Federation and three with Belarusian licence plates, and  12 with “DPR” plates), a minivan (with “DPR” plates) and 32 trucks (30 covered cargo, one fuel tanker and one open trailer) (14 with Ukrainian, 13 with Russian Federation and one with Belarusian licence plates, and four with “DPR” plates) exiting Ukraine.

SMM observed a calm situation south-east of Kherson

On 17 and 18 March, the Mission observed a calm situation at the crossing point between Chonhar (163km south-east of Kherson) and Crimea (see SMM Daily Report 6 March 2019).

Follow-up on reports of arson at two stores in Kyiv

On 19 March, the SMM followed up on media and police reports of two arson attacks, on 17 and 18 March, on two confectionary stores belonging to the same chain at 49 Obolonskyi Avenue and 29 Khreshchatyk Street in Kyiv. At both locations, the SMM saw scorch marks on stone tiles and window sills, as well as windows that looked as if they had recently been replaced. According to police statements, investigations are ongoing in both cases and one suspect has been detained.

The Mission continued monitoring in 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 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 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 19 March 2019). 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:

• The SMM was unable to access a permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region as its gate was locked and no guards were present to open it.
• The SMM was unable to access a heavy weapons holding area in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region as its gate was locked and no guards were present to open it.

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. 

Delay:

• At a checkpoint 600m west of Verkhnoshyrokivske (formerly Oktiabr, non-government-controlled, 85km south of Donetsk), five members of the armed formations (two of them visibly armed) refused to allow the SMM to pass through the checkpoint, citing “ongoing demining activities”. About 40 minutes later, the same SMM patrol attempted again to pass through the checkpoint and was allowed to proceed.

Other impediments:

• On 18 March, an SMM long range-UAV lost its GPS signal, assessed as due to signal interference, while flying over government- and non-government-controlled areas of southern Donetsk region.[6]
• Staff at a medical station in Klenovyi (non-government-controlled, 51km south of Luhansk) refused to talk to the SMM, saying that “the staff is not supposed to have any contact with the SMM”.

[1] For a complete breakdown of ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table. During the reporting period, the SMM camera in Krasnohorivka was 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] Due to the presence of mines, including on a road between Bohdanivka and Petrivske, the SMM cannot access its camera in Petrivske, and thus the SMM has not been able to access observations from the camera since 22 June 2018.

[4] 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. The SMM noted that two such sites in government-controlled areas and one in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region continued to be abandoned.

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

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