Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 2 June 2019

This report is for the media and the general public.

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 31 May and 1 June, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region.
• Between the evenings of 1 and 2 June, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous 24 hours and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region.
• A woman was injured by shrapnel in Pikuzy.
• Residential buildings were damaged by small-arms fire and shrapnel in Chermalyk and Dokuchaievsk.
• The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region.
• The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure.
• Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. The Mission’s freedom of movement was also restricted at a border crossing point outside government control and at a railway station near Voznesenivka, at a checkpoint in government-controlled Bohdanivka, and at checkpoints in non-government-controlled Zaichenko and Novoazovsk.*

• The SMM saw a gathering of members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Chernivtsi.

Ceasefire violations[1]

In Donetsk region, between the evenings of 31 May and 1 June, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including about 140 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 280 explosions). Over half of ceasefire violations were recorded in areas south-east of Chermalyk (government-controlled, 31km north-east of Mariupol) and east of Hnutove (government-controlled, 20km north-east of Mariupol).

Between the evenings of 1 and 2 June, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including, however, more explosions (about 180), compared with the previous 24 hours. Over half of ceasefire violations were recorded at south-easterly directions of Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk) and at southerly and south-easterly directions of Chermalyk (government-controlled, 31km north-east of Mariupol).

In Luhansk region, between the evenings of 31 May and 1 June, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions (24), compared with the previous reporting period (six explosions). Over three-fifths of ceasefire violations, including all but one of the recorded explosions, were recorded in areas south-south-east of Nyzhnoteple (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk) and Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk). Between the evenings of 1 and 2 June, the SMM recorded no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region.

A woman was injured by shrapnel in Pikuzy

On 2 June, at a residential house at 45 Akhmatovoi Street in the central part of Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM saw a woman (65 years old) with approximately 15 cuts on her neck, shoulders, and upper back with pieces of aluminium stuck in some of the wounds. An SMM medic assessed that the wounds were caused by shrapnel. The woman told the SMM that she was working in the garden outside of her house in the evening of 1 June when she heard an explosion nearby and, a few seconds later, heard another explosion behind her and fell to the ground (due to security concerns, the SMM was unable to see the alleged impact). She said that her husband took her to a doctor in Pikuzy who provided first aid. While present at the location, the SMM heard two shots of small-arms fire at an assessed range of 500m west.

Residential buildings were damaged by small-arms fire and shrapnel in Chermalyk and Dokuchaievsk

On 2 June, in the south-eastern part of Chermalyk, the SMM saw a fresh bullet hole in an exterior south-east facing wall of a residential house, as well as a bullet embedded inside of it. A resident of the house told the SMM that he heard small-arms fire on 28 May.

On the same day, in Dokuchaievsk (non-government-controlled, 30km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM followed up on reports of damage to multiple buildings at five separate locations. At a four-storey apartment building at 1A Nezalezhnosti Street in the south-western part of Dokuchaievsk, the SMM saw a freshly broken north-west facing window on a communal stairway between the second and third floors as well as shrapnel damage (a fresh hole in the wall adjacent to the window). A resident of the building (female, in her thirties) told the SMM that she had been at home when she heard explosions in the evening of 30 May.

About 1.4km north-north-west from the previously-mentioned building, in the north-western part of Dokuchaievsk, at a local heating plant at 102B Lenina Street, the SMM saw a freshly broken double-paned second floor south-south-west facing window along with broken glass on the window sill. Between the window panes, the SMM saw a bullet (corresponding to a fresh hole on the outer side of the window pane. On the second floor, the SMM saw a fresh hole in a south-south-west facing window frame. The SMM assessed the damage as caused by small-arms fire. A senior technician at the plant (male, 45 years old) told the SMM that an employee reported hearing impacts during the evening of 31 May.

About 150m north-north-west from the heating plant, at a four-storey apartment building at 100 Lenina Street, the SMM saw a fresh bullet hole in a south-west facing window in a communal stairway between the second and third floors with pieces of glass on the window sill. About 100m north-north-east, at a five-storey apartment building at 106 Lenina Street, the SMM saw a fresh hole in a south-west facing bedroom window frame in a ground-floor apartment. In a third floor apartment at the same address, the SMM saw a freshly broken double-paned south-west facing bedroom window and a bullet lying between the two window panes. About 250m east of the previously-mentioned building, at a five-storey apartment building at 93 Tsentralna Street, the SMM saw two freshly broken south-west facing windows, one on a communal stairway between the second and third floors and one on the fifth floor. The SMM assessed all the damage as caused by small-arms fire. Six residents of the above-mentioned buildings (mixed ages and genders) separately told the SMM that they had been at home on the evening of 31 May when they heard shooting.

Disengagement areas[2]

During the day on 1 June, positioned near the disengagement area close to Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), the SMM heard and saw an explosion assessed as an impact of an undetermined weapon at a distance of 1km south-west (assessed as outside the area but within its 5km periphery).

On 2 June, positioned close to the disengagement area near Petrivske, the Mission observed a calm situation.[3]

On 1 and 2 June, positioned inside the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk), the Mission 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.

In violation of withdrawal lines

Non-government-controlled areas

26 May

An SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted three towed howitzers (D-30, Lyagushka, 122mm) near Petrivske (69km south of Donetsk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside of designated storage sites

Government-controlled areas

1 June

The SMM saw:

• At least ten tanks (T-72), three towed howitzers (2A65 Msta-B, 152mm), and an anti-tank guided missile system (9P148 Konkurs, 135mm) at the train station in Rubizhne (84km north-west of Luhansk);
• an anti-tank guided missile system (9P148) near Smolianynove (61km north-west of Luhansk); and
• an anti-tank gun (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) near Oleksandrivka (69km north-west of Luhansk).

Non-government-controlled areas

31 May

An SMM long-range UAV spotted 19 tanks and 17 towed howitzers in a training area near Myrne (28km south-west of Luhansk) (for previous observations, see SMM Daily Report 25 May 2019). In the same area, the UAV also spotted 37 infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) (BMP variants).[4]

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

Government-controlled areas

30 May

An SMM long-range UAV spotted two armoured combat vehicles (ACV) near Troitske (30km north of Donetsk).

31 May

The SMM saw:

• two IFVs (BMP-2) in a compound located approximately 30m from a residential house in Verkhnotoretske (23km north-east of Donetsk) and
• a 5m-long trench under a camouflage net on the western outskirts of Novoselivka (31km north of Donetsk) for the first time.

An SMM long-range UAV spotted an ACV (type undetermined) near Myronivskyi (62km north-east of Donetsk).

1 June

The SMM saw:

• nine IFVs (seven BMP-1 and two BMP variants) in Orikhove-Donetske (44km north-west of Luhansk) and
• an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) mounted on a truck and an APC (MT-LB) with a red cross symbol near houses used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Nevelske (18km north-west of Donetsk).

2 June

The SMM saw an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) in Talakivka (90km south of Donetsk).

SMM facilitation of repairs to civilian infrastructure

On 1 June, the Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to water pipelines between Zolote-3/Stakhanovets (government-controlled, 61km west of Luhansk) and Popasna.

On 1 and 2 June, the SMM facilitated the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) and continued to monitor the security situation in the area of the pumping station near Vasylivka (non-government-controlled, 20km north of Donetsk).

Mine hazard signs seen for the first time in Kostiantynivka and Raivka and mine awareness signs seen in Marinka

On 2 June, in the north-western part of Kostiantynivka (government-controlled, 60km north of Donetsk), the SMM saw for the first time five mine hazard signs with “Mines” written in Russian, two posted on sticks at the entrance and three posted on the fence of a military compound.

On the same day, in Raivka (non-government-controlled, 16km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM saw for the first time a mine hazard sign (with the word “Mine” written in Russian), attached to a stick in the middle of a roadway leading to the contact line.

On the same date, the SMM saw for the first time three mine awareness posters issued by an international organization on a shelter located on road H15 at the entry-exit checkpoint near Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk) north of a previously reported mine field (for previous observations, see SMM Daily Report 30 May 2019).

Border areas outside government control

On 1 June, while at a border crossing point near Uspenka (73km south-east of Donetsk) for about an hour and a half, the SMM saw 31 cars (eight with Ukrainian and 21 with Russian Federation licence places, as well as two with “DPR” plates), a covered cargo truck and a bus (both with Ukrainian licence plates), and 17 pedestrians (14 women, mixed ages and three men, ages 20-40) entering Ukraine. It also saw 27 cars (four Ukrainian and 15 Russian Federation licence plates, as well as eight “DPR” plates), 25 covered cargo trucks (15 with Ukrainian and nine Russian Federation licence plates, as well as one “DPR” plate), two buses with “DPR” plates, and seven pedestrians (six women, 45-75 years old, and one man in his forties) exiting Ukraine.

On 1 June, while at a pedestrian border crossing point near Ulianivske (61km east of Donetsk) for 45 minutes, the SMM saw two pedestrians (a man and a woman in their twenties) entering Ukraine.

On 2 June, while at a border crossing point near Voznesenivka, the SMM saw two pedestrians (males in their thirties) entering Ukraine and two cars and a bus (all with Russian Federation licence plates), and four pedestrians (males in their fifties) exiting Ukraine. After three minutes, an armed member of the armed formations asked the SMM to leave the area (see below).*

Gathering of members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Chernivtsi

On 2 June in Chernivtsi city, the SMM saw about 700 members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) (mixed genders, about 40-60 years old) marching from the Holy Paraskeva Church to the Regional State Administration (RSA) at 1 Hrushevskoho Street where religious leaders lead the participants in prayers and songs. Representatives from parishes in Chernivtsi region, including those located in Tovtry, where the SMM recently saw members of the OCU gather, delivered speeches critical of members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and called for the RSA to quickly process the changes in affiliation of churches who have filed to change from UOC to OCU.

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

Denial of access:

• On 1 June, at a checkpoint 800m north of Zaichenko (non-government-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol), an armed member of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage to Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol) and Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol).
• On 1 June, at a checkpoint north of Novoazovsk (non-government-controlled, 40km east of Mariupol), an armed member of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage south towards Novoazovsk and east towards the border with the Russian Federation, citing an ongoing operation in the area.
• On 1 June, at a checkpoint on the western edge of Bohdanivka (government-controlled, 41km south-west of Donetsk), a Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier denied the SMM access to the main road, citing a safety restriction preventing all military and civilian vehicles from using the road.
• On 2 June, two armed members of the armed formations again denied the SMM access to the Chervona Mohyla railway station in Voznesenivka (formerly Chervonopartyzanska, 65km south-east of Luhansk), stating that the situation at the crossing point was “calm and unchanged.”
• On 2 June, at a border crossing point in Voznesenivka, an armed member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area, adding that the situation at the border crossing point was “stable.”

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.

Other impediments:

• On the evening of 30 May, an SMM long-range UAV experienced GPS signal interference, assessed as due to jamming, while flying over non-government-controlled areas of southern Luhansk region.[6]
• On 1 June, on three occasions, SMM mini-UAVs experienced GPS signal interference, assessed as probably caused by jamming, while flying over government-controlled and non-government-controlled areas of central and northern Donetsk region.

[1] For a complete breakdown of ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table.

[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 armoured combat vehicles mentioned in this section are not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.

[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 a radius of kilometres from the UAV’s position.