Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 20 June 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 both Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
- It saw military presence inside the Petrivske disengagement area.
- The SMM saw self-propelled howitzers in violation of withdrawal lines near Starolaspa.
- It spotted anti-tank mines near Marinka, some for the first time.
- The Mission saw a fresh crater near a petrol station in Khreshchatytske.
- The Mission 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 and elsewhere. Its freedom of movement was also denied in non-government-controlled areas of southern Donetsk region at checkpoints near Shevchenko, Nova Marivka, and in Yasne.*
Ceasefire violations[1]
In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions (about 70), compared with the previous reporting period (30 explosions). The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded at southerly and south-easterly directions of Chermalyk (government-controlled, 31km north-east of Mariupol) and at southerly directions of the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk).
In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions (about 170), compared with the previous reporting period (about 115 explosions). Almost three quarters of ceasefire violations were recorded in south-easterly directions of Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk).
Disengagement areas[2]
On 19 June, inside the disengagement area near Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted a probable infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1), assessed as belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. [3]
During the day on 20 June, positioned at various locations near the disengagement area near Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard about 30 undetermined explosions, about 100 bursts and about 30 shots of small-arms-fire, all assessed as within 5km of the disengagement area’s periphery.
On 20 June, positioned in the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk), 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.
In violation of withdrawal lines:
Non-government-controlled areas
19 June
An SMM mid-range UAV spotted four self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) near Starolaspa (51km south of Donetsk).
Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites
Non-government-controlled areas
20 June
The SMM saw seven tanks in a training area near Ternove (57km east of Donetsk).
Indications of military and military-type presence in the security zone[4]
Government-controlled areas
18 June
An SMM mid-range UAV spotted for the first time a new 70m-long trench running north-west to south-east near Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk), near recently observed trench extensions (not seen in imagery from 19 April 2019).
20 June
The SMM saw:
- an IFV (BMP-1) near Zolote;
- an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) mounted on a truck near Zolote-1/Soniachnyi (61km west of Luhansk); and
- an IFV (BTR-4) near Novobakhmutivka (28km north of Donetsk).
Non-government-controlled areas
19 June
Aerial imagery available to the SMM revealed the presence of four armoured combat vehicles (ACV) near Bezimenne (30km east of Mariupol).
An SMM mid-range UAV spotted four ACVs near Starolaspa.
An SMM mini-UAV spotted:
- 16 IFVs (BMP-1) and three armoured personnel carriers (APC) (one MT-LB and two BTR-70) near Kruhlyk (65km south-west of Luhansk), and
- two APCs (MT-LB) near Zorynsk (54km south-west of Luhansk).
Presence of anti-tank mines near Marinka and a mine hazard sign near Betmanove
On 18 June, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted for the first time 12 anti-tank mines (TM-62) laid out in a single row in a field about 200m south-east of the nearest residential houses on the southern edge of Marinka (not seen in imagery from 23 May 2019). The same UAV again spotted 26 anti-tank mines (probable TM-62) on the northern edge of Marinka, all located 30-50m away from the nearest residential houses (see SMM Daily Report 6 March 2019 and SMM Daily Report 18 March 2019).
On 20 June, the SMM saw for the first time a white mine hazard sign with “Danger, Mines” written in English and “Do not leave the road! The territory alongside the road is mined. In case of emergency, call 101” written in Russian, attached to a post in a median between lanes of road M-04 near Betmanove (formerly Krasnyi Partyzan, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Donetsk).
Fresh crater near a petrol station in Khreshchatytske
Following up on reports of shelling at a petrol station on the south-western edge of Khreshchatytske (formerly Krasnoarmiiske, non-government-controlled, 33km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM saw a fresh crater assessed as caused by a 122mm artillery round fired from a westerly direction, along with a metal fragment assessed as coming from the same artillery round, about 50m south of the petrol station.
SMM facilitation of repairs to civilian infrastructure
The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable electrical repairs near Zhovte (non-government-controlled, 17km north-west of Luhansk) and Spartak (non-government-controlled, 9km north of Donetsk), as well as repairs to a water pipeline between Toretsk (formerly Dzerzhynsk, government-controlled, 43km north of Donetsk) and Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk).
The SMM also facilitated the operation of the DFS and continued to monitor the security situation in the area of the pumping station near Vasylivka (non-government-controlled, 20km north of Donetsk).
The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi and Kyiv.
*Restrictions of the 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, SMM Daily Report 12 June 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:
- At a checkpoint on the eastern edge of Shevchenko (non-government-controlled, 69km south of Donetsk), a member of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage westward towards Mykolaivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Mariupol) after the SMM refused to show its patrol plan.
- At a checkpoint at the southern entrance to Nova Marivka (non-government-controlled, 64km south of Donetsk), an armed member of the armed formations denied the SMM passage to the village, citing “engineering works” in the area.
- While attempting to follow up on reports of shelling in Yasne (non-government-controlled, 30km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM was denied access to a residential area by a member of the armed formations without explanation. Later, a senior member of the armed formations told the SMM that it had been denied for safety reasons due to the area’s proximity to the contact line.
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 19 June, an SMM long-range UAV experienced signal interference, assessed as caused by jamming, while flying over government-controlled areas of northern Donetsk region and non-government-controlled areas of southern Donetsk region.[5]
[1] For a complete breakdown of ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table.
* 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 on 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] The hardware mentioned in this section is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.
[5] The interference could have originated from anywhere within a radius of kilometres from the UAVs’ positions.