Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 18:00 (Kyiv time), 18 March 2015

This report is for media and the general public.

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk agreements”. The SMM, based on its monitoring – which was restricted by third parties and by security considerations*– observed that fighting continued in areas around Donetsk airport, Horlivka and Shyrokyne, east of Mariupol.

In Mariupol (government-controlled, 110km south of Donetsk), the Chief Monitor met with the Mariupol mayor and his deputies. The mayor said the city had been suffering economically due to the crisis, with steel factories running at half their output and business in the port significantly down. He added that some 26,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) had passed through Mariupol and that 17,500 remained there. About 2,000 IDP children are enrolled in local schools and kindergartens. The mayor also referred to the ongoing shelling in Shyrokyne (97km south of Donetsk, 20km east of Mariupol) and called for the full implementation of the “Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk agreements”. The Chief Monitor also visited an SMM observation point in Sopyne (government-controlled, 99km south of Donetsk, 15km east of Mariupol) from where the SMM monitors activity in and around Shyrokyne.*

The SMM attempted to monitor the remains of Donetsk airport* (“Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”)-controlled, 10km north-west of Donetsk city centre). Due to on-going shelling and exchange of small arms fire, the SMM did not proceed past the crossing of Artemovskaya and Manezhnaya Streets (8km north-west of Donetsk city centre) and was not able to access the airport. Local residents told the SMM that while repairs had been made to the main electric, gas and water lines, few houses had been reconnected to them. They expressed concerns over looting in the area, as well as the general humanitarian situation in the immediate vicinity of the airport. Whilst at the site, between 10:20 and 12:20hrs the SMM heard more than 50 instances of artillery shelling both incoming and outgoing originating from one to three kilometres north-north-east of its position, which it estimated to be an exchange between the airport area and positions near Opytne (government-controlled, 12km north-west of Donetsk city centre). The SMM assessed some of the weapons used as heavy mortars, artillery, heavy machine gun and main battle tanks. The SMM also heard seven explosions five to six kilometres west of its position and several others six to seven kilometres south of its position at 10:30 and 11:50hrs respectively. In both cases the SMM could not ascertain the type of weaponry nor if it was incoming or outgoing fire.

While in Horlivka* (“DPR”-controlled, 36km north-east of Donetsk), between 11:15 and 11:20hrs, the SMM heard around 30 outgoing artillery rounds at 10 second intervals and originating from five to seven kilometres south-east of its position, but was unable to ascertain the calibre.

At the headquarters of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination in Soledar (government-controlled, 77km north of Donetsk) the SMM observed the presence of Ukrainian Armed Forces officers including the Major-General and Russian Federation Armed Forces officers including the Colonel-General. “DPR” and “Lugansk People’s Republic” (“LPR”) members were also present, as was the representative of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the JCCC incident log, there had been 40 allegations of ceasefire violations recorded between 08:00hrs on 17 March and 08:00hrs on 18 March including nine involving mortars, and the number of artillery violations had decreased.

Between 11:22 and 11:50hrs, in Avdiivka (government-controlled, 15km north-west of Donetsk) the SMM heard shelling which it estimated to be 120mm mortars, artillery and heavy machine gun fire, originating from Spartak (“DPR”-controlled, 7km north-west of Donetsk) and impacting around the area of Opytne (government-controlled, 12km north-west of Donetsk).

In Pisky (government-controlled, 12km north-west of Donetsk), between 12:00 and 12:45hrs, the SMM heard five incoming mortar rounds, one 82mm and four 122mm, which were estimated to have originated from the Donetsk airport area.

Between 12:00 and 13:00hrs, while at an observation point near Berdianske (government-controlled, 98km south of Donetsk, 18km east of Mariupol), the SMM heard eight incoming 82mm mortar rounds from around four kilometres to the north-east of the SMM’s position, in the northern outskirts of Shyrokyne. It also heard 17 outgoing 82mm rounds originating from two kilometres north-west of its position and impacting in the outskirts of Shyrokyne.

At 11:20hrs while in Shchastia (government-controlled, 19km north of Luhansk) the SMM heard several rounds of outgoing and incoming mortar fire some 10km west of its position, but was unable to ascertain the calibre.

At 13:00hrs while in Trokhizbenka (government-controlled, 33km north-east of Luhansk), the SMM heard artillery shelling approximately 10km west of its position. The SMM was not able to ascertain whether it was outgoing or incoming fire.

In the vicinity of Krasnyi Yar (“Lugansk People’s Republic” (“LPR”)-controlled, 32km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM saw an anti-aircraft missile system stationary in an open space, with an operational radar system, but was unable to see if it was manned or not. Also in Krasnyi Yar, the SMM observed around ten people, six of them in military clothes, engaged in digging trenches.

The SMM spoke to mostly elderly local residents, men and women, in Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk) who said that the members of the Tornado volunteer battalion were restricting travel inside the village and to surrounding areas and that their occupation of the local hospital since January 2015 had substantially reduced their access to healthcare. They also expressed concerns that the occupation by the battalion of two train engine repair shops had resulted in several residents losing their incomes and ability to support their families.

The SMM visited a formerly state-financed school for children with mental and intellectual disabilities in Klenovyi (“LPR”-controlled, 51km south of Luhansk). The deputy principal informed the SMM that while the school received support from the “LPR”, a Russian Federation based humanitarian organisation as well as from the Cossacks it was not sufficient to cover the food, clothing and medical needs of the 69 children residing in the school.

The SMM revisited four Ukrainian Armed Forces storage sites for heavy weapons. The SMM verified that all weapons previously recorded in these were present in compliance with the relevant withdrawal lines. Neither the “DPR” nor “LPR” had provided information about any such sites, thereby preventing the SMM from verifying that weapons had been and remained withdrawn.

While at Goptivka (40km north of Kharkiv) the commander of the international border crossing point, who was also responsible for a pedestrian crossing point in Zhuravliove (5km south-east of Goptivka) told the SMM that approximately 170 individuals (Russian Federation citizens) had been refused entry to Ukraine in the past 24 hours due to lack of documents, financial resources or clarity as to the purpose of their visit.

The SMM visited the administrative boundary line crossing point to the Crimean peninsula at Kalanchak and the railway crossing point at Vadym (120 and 110km respectively south-east of Kherson). At Kalanchak the SMM observed a queue of 3.5km waiting to cross to Crimea, mostly composed of cargo vehicles, which the truck drivers said were loaded with food items. The commander stated to the SMM that the waiting time had been reduced in the past week to approximately 24 hours. At Vadym, the SMM was informed that there were two passenger trains a day from and to Kherson but they do not cross the boundary line and stop at Vadym. Only cargo trains are allowed to enter the Crimean peninsula.

At the Chernivtsi National University, the SMM monitored a meeting with local non-governmental organizations and the mayor of Chernivtsi, the secretary of the city council and representatives of the presidential administration. It was attended by some 250 participants and the majority of speakers expressed concerns regarding poor relations between civil society and state structures and the consensus was that a substantial lack of trust of citizens towards state officials persists.

In Basivka (15km south-west of Lviv), the SMM monitored a press conference held by a group of civil society activists and the mayor who demanded the removal of the director of the Lviv Regional Property Agency on grounds that he had, on several occasions, transferred plots of land to persons on the false pretence that they were “Anti-Terrorism Operation” servicepersons.

In Kyiv the SMM monitored a picket organized by the “Union of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi” in front of the Chamber of Commerce of Ukraine. Some 100 protestors, mostly elderly men and women, attended the event and demanded the resignation of the president of the chamber on the grounds that he was appointed under the previous president. Police were present at the picket, which ended peacefully.

The SMM continued to monitor the situation in Dnepropetrovsk, Odessa and Ivano-Frankivsk.

* Restrictions on SMM access and freedom of movement:

The SMM is restrained in fulfilling its monitoring functions by restrictions imposed by third parties and security considerations including the lack of information on whereabouts of landmines.

The security situation in Donbas is fluid and unpredictable and the ceasefire does not hold everywhere. For this reason, the SMM requires security guarantees from “DPR” and “LPR” which are not always provided. Where such guarantees are limited to escorted movements, and escorts are not provided for all planned patrols or are delayed, this also represents a restriction of SMM freedom of movement.

In particular during the reporting period:

- At a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint on the western outskirts of Mariupol the Chief Monitor's convoy was kept waiting for 20-25 minutes.

- The SMM was stopped at a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint in Novotroitske (government-controlled, 36km south-west of Donetsk) and was allowed to pass 15 minutes later after the names and nationalities of the patrol members and their ID cards had been checked.

-While passing the Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoints in Raihorodka (government-controlled, 34km north-west of Luhansk) and Novoaidar (government-controlled, 49km north-west of Luhansk,) the SMM were asked their nationality by the checkpoint staff.

- At a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint at the entrance of Volnovakha (government-controlled, 48km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM was delayed for 23 minutes and was allowed to pass only after the names, nationalities and ID cards of the patrol members had been checked.

- At a “DPR” checkpoint on the outskirts of Olenivka (“DPR”-controlled, 21km south-west of Donetsk) the SMM was allowed to pass only after being joined by a “DPR” “police” escort.

-The SMM was not allowed to pass the “DPR” checkpoint to Shyrokyne due to the security situation, according to the checkpoint “commander”.