Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 7 August 2019

This report is for the media and the general public. 

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region.
• The SMM saw fresh damage from heavy-machine-gun fire to a functioning school and residential properties in Horlivka.
• Small-arms fire was directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near non-government-controlled Novoselivka.
• The SMM saw deminers from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and from non-government-controlled areas working inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area.
• The Mission monitored adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate repairs and expansion ofwater infrastructure and repairs of power lines as well as the operation of essential civilian infrastructure.
• Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued, including at a non-government-controlled checkpoint near Zaichenko.*

Ceasefire violations[1]

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including, however, more explosions (about 70), compared with the previous reporting period (about 60 explosions). More than half of the ceasefire violations were recorded in areas north-north-east of Avdiivka (government-controlled, 17km north of Donetsk),all small-arms fire and assessed as part of a live-fire training exercise in the security zone in violation of the decision of the Trilateral Contact Group of 3 March 2016 that prohibits the conduct of live-fire training in the security zone. 

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including 26 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (no explosions). More than two thirds of the ceasefire violations were recorded in areas north-north-east of Obozne (non-government-controlled, 18km north of Luhansk).

Fresh damage from heavy-machine-gun fire to a school and residential properties in Horlivka

At 30 Cherniakhovskoho Street (about 3km from the forward positions of the armed formations), in the Bessarabka area ofHorlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM saw two shattered windows (on the second floor) and a bullet hole (on the first floor) in a north-facing wall of a functioning three-storey school building, all assessed as fresh and caused by heavy-machine-gun bullets (12.7mm or 14.5mm) fired from a north-westerly direction. School staff told the SMM that the school had reportedly been hit by bullets in the early evening of 5 August and that at the time there had been no one at the school. 

On an adjacent street west of the school, at 11 Starobelska Street, the SMM saw two shattered windows and a bullet hole, all on the second floor in the north-facing wall of a two-storey residential building. The SMM assessed the damage as fresh and caused by heavy-machine-gun bullets (12.7mm or 14.5mm) fired from a north-westerly direction.  

On an adjacent street east of the abovementioned school, at 4 BakhaStreet, the SMM saw three bullet holes in the metal gate of a garage and a bullet hole in a metal gate of another garage, both located about 150m from residential properties. The Mission assessed the damage as fresh and caused by heavy-machine-gun-bullets (12.7mm or 14.5mm) fired from a north-westerly direction. 

About 1.5km north-east of the previous locations, at 18/2 Tushynska Street, the SMM saw a bullet hole in a north-north-west-facing window and a fresh bullet hole in the inside wall (opposite of the abovementioned window) of a single-storey house. The owners of the house (a woman and a man, aged 50-60) told the SMM that they were not at home when the damage occurred and that they were notified by their neighbours that the damage had happened in the early evening of 5 August.

Small-arms fire directed at SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near Novoselivka

On 7 August, positioned about 3.5km north of Novoselivka (non-government-controlled, 50km south-west of Luhansk), while conducting a mini-UAV flight, the SMM heard three shots of small-arms fire about 350m south-east, assessed as aimed at the UAV, which was flying about 200m south of its position. The SMM safely landed the UAV and left the area.*

Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area

On 6 August, the SMM saw that the Ukrainian Armed Forces entry-exit checkpoint (EECP) outside the disengagement area and the checkpoint of the armed formations south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (15km north-east of Luhansk)(inside the disengagement area) closed at 18:00 instead of 20:00 (the SMM saw a written notification for the public at the checkpoint of the armed formations about its early closure).From 18:35 to about 18:45, the SMM heard two explosions assessed as controlled detonations of explosive devices. The SMM also saw seven deminers of the State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine with a truck and a crane about 100m north of the broken section of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge.

On the morning and afternoon of 7 August, the SMM saw a team of five SES deminers with prodding sticks and metal detectors, conducting demining activities on the eastern side of the road, about 100m north of the broken section of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge.

On the same day, the SMM saw about 18 deminers from non-government-controlled areas area conducting demining activities in areas west and at the base of the southern wooden ramp on the broken section of the bridge. At the parking area south-south-west of the checkpoint of the armed formations south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge,the SMM saw three members of the armed formation wearing armbands with “JCCC” written on them.[2]  

Onthe morning of 7 August, at the Ukrainian Armed Forces EECP, the SMM observed about 150 people queuing to exit government-controlled areas and about 350 people queuing to enter government-controlled areas. At the checkpoint of the armed formations south of the bridge, on the same morning, the SMM saw a steady flow of people traveling towards non-government-controlled areas and a steady flow of people crossing in the opposite direction. 

Other disengagement areas[3]

On the evening and night of 6 and 7 August, the SMM camera in Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) recorded six projectiles in flight and two illumination flares, all at an assessed range of 2-4km south-south-east(unable to be assessed whether inside or outside the disengagement area). On the morning of 7 August, positioned in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard an undetermined explosion, assessed as outside the disengagement area but within its 5km periphery.

On 7 August, positioned close to the disengagement area near Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), 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

Government-controlled areas

6 August

An SMM mini-UAV spotted a surface-to-air missile system (9K33 Osa) near Kurdiumivka (54km north of Donetsk).

7 August

The SMM saw a surface-to-air missile system (9K33) near Peredilske (24km north-west of Luhansk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside of designated storage sites

Non-government-controlled areas

5 August

Aerial imagery available to the SMM revealed the presence of six tanks (type undetermined) in a training area near Zernove (70km south of Donetsk), in a zone within which deployment of heavy armaments and military equipment is proscribed according to Point 5 of the Memorandum of 19 September 2014 (for previous observations, see SMM Daily Report of 2 July 2019).  

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

Government-controlled areas

6 August

An SMM long-range UAV spotted:

• two infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) (BMP-1) near Shumy (41km north of Donetsk);
• three armoured combat vehicles (ACVs) (probable BMP-1) near Novhorodske (35km north of Donetsk);
• three armoured personnel carriers (APC) (BTR variant) and an ACV near Troitske (30km north of Donetsk);
• two APCs (a BTR variant and a BTR-80), an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) and an ACV, including near residential houses, in Verkhnotoretske (23km north-east of Donetsk);
• an APC (BTR-80) near Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk);
• three IFVs (BMP-2) near Krasnohorivka (21km west of Donetsk);
• an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) near Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk);
• an ACV near Slavne (26km south-west of Donetsk);
• an ACV near Berezove (31km south-west of Donetsk); and
• four APCs (BTR variant), an IFV (BMP-2), an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) and an armoured recovery vehicle (BREM-4K) in Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk).

An SMM mini-UAV spotted:

• seven IFVs (six BMP-2 and one BMP-1), two armoured  reconnaissance vehicles (BRM-1K) and a fire control vehicle (1VXX series) at a train station in Vrubivka (72km west of Luhansk)and two APCs (BTR-80), an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRM-1K) and two IFVs (BMP-2 and a BMP variant) near the same settlement.

7 August 

The SMM saw:

• an IFV (BTR-4) near Novobakhmutivka (28km north of Donetsk) and
• an armoured reconnaissance vehicle (BRDM-2) near Myrna Dolyna (67km north-west of Luhansk).

Non-government-controlled areas

6 August

An SMM long-range UAV spotted three IFVs (BMP-1) near Bila Kamianka (51km south of Donetsk).

An SMM mini-UAV spotted:

• five ACVsand three IFVs (one BMP-1, two BMP variants) near Dovhe (22km north-west of Luhansk); and
• an APC (MT-LB) near Metalist (42km south-east of Donetsk).

Presence of mines, demining activities and mine hazard signs 

The SMM saw that two previously observed anti-tank mines (TM-62M) in the median strip between road lanes about 2km south-west of the checkpoint of the armed formations on road H-20 near Olenivka (non-government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk) were still present (for previous observations, see SMM Spot Report 25 February 2019).

The SMM saw a team of three SES deminers conducting demining activities in a field about 5.5km south of Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk). The Mission also saw about 20 people wearing uniforms of an international demining organization conducting demining activities in a field about 3km west of Hranitne (government-controlled, 60km south of Donetsk).

The SMM saw for the first time four mine hazard signs (with “Danger, Mines” written in Ukrainian and Russian) of which three were attached to two trees and one was attached to a wooden stake on the eastern side of road O0531 at the north-eastern entrance of Novomykhailivka (government-controlled, 28km south-west of Donetsk).  

SMM facilitation of repairs and the operation of essential civilian infrastructure 

The SMM monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to water pipelines between Zolote-3/Stakhanovets (government-controlled, 61km west of Luhansk) and Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk) and to power lines servicing the Petrivske pumping station near Artema (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk), as well as to enable the drilling of wells near Raivka (non-government-controlled, 16km north-west of Luhansk). 

The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk)and monitor the security situation around 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 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 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 1 August 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.

Denials of access:

• At a checkpoint about 800m north of Zaichenko (non-government-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol), an armed member of the armed formations again denied the SMM passage southwards to Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol) and westwards to Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol) citing “ongoing demining activities” in the area.

Regular restrictions related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• The sides continued to deny the SMM full access to disengagement areas near Zolote and Petrivske, 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 night between 6 and 7 August, on one occasion, an SMM long-range UAV experienced GPS signal interference, assessed as due to probable jamming, while flying over Stepanivka (government-controlled, 54km north of Donetsk), and on three occasions it experienced dual GPS signal interference, assessed as due to jamming, while flying over government- and non-government controlled areas of Donetsk region.[5]
• On 7 August, while conducting a mini-UAV flight north of Novoselivka (non-government-controlled, 50km south-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard three shots of small-arms fire about about 350m south-east, assessed as aimed at the UAV, which it landed safely.

 

[1]For a complete breakdown of ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table. During the reporting period, the SMM camera in Petrivske was not operational.

[2]The Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) was established in September 2014 by Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Each posted a representative to jointly head the Centre and a staff of officers from the Ukrainian and Russian Federation Armed Forces to be co-located in defined sectors of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. In December 2017, Russian Federation Armed Forces officers withdrew from the JCCC and departed Ukraine.

[3]Disengagement is foreseen in the Framework Decision of the Trilateral Contact Group relating to disengagement of forces and hardware of 21 September 2016.

[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 UAV’s position.