Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 18:00 (Kyiv time), 28 December 2014
On 27 December, at 12:00hrs, the SMM monitored a Euromaidan protest of approximately 100 activists of mixed gender and age at Kharkiv’s Liberty Square. The SMM observed some Ukrainian flags, several Right Sector party flags, as well as one Azov volunteer battalion and one Svoboda party flag. At 13:30hrs a group of approximately 50 Euromaidan activists, followed by 35 police officers, marched to the building of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The speakers emphasized that the gathering was a follow up to previous protests on 21 and 24 December (see SMM Daily Report 27 December) and, apart from expressing concerns over the mayor and the city council, it was aimed at protesting against electricity cuts and calling for the closure of Russian banks. The protestors unsuccessfully demanded to speak to SBU officials following which they returned to the square and dispersed peacefully.
On 27 December the SMM observed 46 Kamaz 4310 type military trucks on Krasnodonska Street in Luhansk. The trucks were empty and had black number plates of five white digits. Three drivers were out of the vehicles, dressed in military pants and civilian jackets. At the back of the convoy there was one military vehicle. On 28 December the SMM observed five Kamaz 4310 type military trucks on Oboronna Street in Luhansk which were moving towards Luhansk city centre.
In Komisarivka (66km south-west of Luhansk), on 28 December at 10:55hrs, the SMM observed a convoy of 24 military fuel tankers, each able to carry 10 tons of fuel and 15 Kamaz 4310 type military trucks, heading towards Krasnodon. At the junction of Krasnodon, the 15 Kamaz trucks turned left into the yard of the Krosko brick factory. The fuel tankers continued in the direction of Izvaryne (63km south-east of Luhansk). The convoy was escorted by a military vehicle type UAZ. All vehicles in the convoy had black number plates of five white digits.
On 27 December in government-controlled Hranitne (75km south of Donetsk), in the vicinity of Mariupol, a group of citizens said to the SMM that the government resumed pension payments in December and that electricity was restored on 25 December following a two-month cut. The two staff of the local clinic informed the SMM that their salary payments had also resumed in December and that the clinic had handled seven fatalities and an additional ten casualties since September. While in Hranitne the SMM heard a single shot originating from the east, estimated to be a round from a 57mm SPG-9 recoilless rifle.
On 28 December the SMM attempted to undertake a monitoring patrol in “DPR”-controlled Shyrokyne (97km south of Donetsk), but was stopped at a “DPR” checkpoint on the main road from Mariupol leading to Novoazovsk. The personnel of the checkpoint said that the SMM was not allowed to enter the “DPR” controlled territory in the south-east of the Donetsk region. This was the fourth time in 40 days that the SMM were refused at this particular checkpoint from entering “DPR” held territory in the south-east of the Donetsk region.
On 28 December the SMM visited government-controlled Kominternovo (119km south of Donetsk) in the vicinity of Mariupol, where it had previously observed two abandoned T-64 tanks and unexploded ordnance (UXO) on the grounds of a destroyed kindergarten. The SMM observed that the tanks and the UXO continued to remain there and that two children were playing around the tanks. Villagers told the SMM that children remove tank shell propellant and burn it for entertainment.
On 27 and 28 December, at the JCCC headquarters in government-controlled Debaltseve (55km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM observed officers of the General Staffs of Ukraine (GSU) and the Russian Federation (GSRF), as well as members of “DPR” and “Luhansk People’s Republic” working together. GSU and GSRF officers handed over to the SMM joint incident logs indicating 23 and 19 reported ceasefire violations for 27 and 28 December respectively.
On 27 December the SMM monitored the joint co-ordination group meeting of the JCCC in Donetsk. A Ukrainian colonel said that the Ukrainian Army (UA) had completed its rotation of JCCC officers. A Russian Federation colonel outlined plans for improved communication between JCCC teams at field levels including direct link between the field officers and their sector commanders which they have started to implement in the Donetsk region. Participants reported that the situation was relatively calm, but they have recorded continued use of heavy artillery by both sides. They also said that an agreement had been reached between the UA and the “DPR” on medical evacuations for injured UA personnel from Donetsk airport.
The situation in Dnipropetrovsk was calm.
On 27 December the SMM inquired with the police about an incident which occurred earlier in the day in Kherson. They said that at 11:10hrs a man entered the premises of a currency exchange business with an improvised explosive device (IED) wrapped around his body. Shortly after the police and the IED experts arrived on the spot the IED exploded and the perpetrator died of his injuries. No other casualties were reported. Following an inspection of the site, the police found another IED in a street nearby, which was successfully defused by the IED experts. Investigations on charges of robbery are ongoing.
On 28 December the SMM monitored a protest at Kulikovo Pole Square in Odesa where some 50 to 60 mostly elderly people of mixed gender expressed concerns over the increase in military expenditure. Police were present and the event ended peacefully.
On 27 December the SMM visited the site of an explosion in Odesa’s Sehedska Street which had occurred at 04:50hrs. According to media reports, an unidentified individual mishandled an explosive device which detonated and resulted in his death. No other casualties were reported. The SMM did not see any police presence at the scene of the explosion and observed windows shattered in one building. The police informed the SMM that they had started an investigation on charges of terrorism and that the investigation would be transferred to the SBU.
The situation in Ivano-Frankivsk was calm.
On 27 December the SMM followed up media reports and visited the private residence of the mayor of Lviv which had been reportedly hit by a rocket-propelled grenade the previous evening at 20:45hrs. The SMM observed that the projectile impacted on a wall approximately 2-meters from the main entrance, penetrated the 40-centimetre wall and fragments were visible on the opposite wall inside the residence. Several windows on the ground and first floor were also damaged. Ukrainian State Protection Service officers were present when the attack occurred but did reportedly not see the perpetrator(s). The police informed the SMM that an investigation had been launched.
The situation in Chernivtsi was calm.
On 28 December the SMM monitored a protest in Kyiv in front of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament). A crowd of approximately 500 men and women of mixed ages was constituted of groups that had travelled from various parts of Ukraine to Kyiv. The SMM also observed the presence of members of the Aidar volunteer battalion and protestors displayed flags of “Maidan Credit”, a public organization aimed at protecting borrowers’ interests. They voiced their concerns regarding the inability of many citizens to repay loans due to the economic situation and protested against the subsequent evictions and debt recovery plans imposed upon them. The protest which was initially scheduled to last from 12:30hrs to 13:30hrs continued until in the late afternoon. When the SMM departed around 15:00hrs some 350 protestors were still present and started to burn some items and made angry statements. Police were present.