Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30hrs, 20 October 2015

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk agreements”, including the Addendum. Its monitoring was restricted by the parties and security considerations*. The overall situation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions was relatively stable. The SMM heard a number of explosions at the outskirts of Donetsk city and confirmed reports of a person killed. The SMM continued monitoring the withdrawal of weapons stipulated in the Addendum to the Package of measures in Luhansk and further in Donetsk regions.

The SMM observed an overall stable situation in most areas in Donetsk region. At the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) observation post at Donetsk railway station (“Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”)-controlled, 6km north-west of Donetsk), the SMM heard a total of 28 explosions and two single small-arms shots[1] 3-5km north-north-east, west and north-north-west of the observation post in what a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer and a Russian Federation Armed Forces officer at the JCCC described as an exchange of fire in the area of the Volvo Centre (“DPR”-controlled, 12km west-north-west of Donetsk). At 13:05hrs, another Russian Federation Armed Forces JCCC officer told the SMM that as a result of this exchange, a “DPR” member was killed and another one was injured. The SMM was unable to immediately visit the location of the incident, due to security concerns. At 13:28hrs, two vehicles arrived in the observation post parking area and a “DPR” member showed the SMM the body of a young man, who the “DPR” member claimed had been killed in the alleged exchange of fire.. A short while later, two other vehicles with four armed “DPR” members arrived at the parking lot and one of them became verbally aggressive towards the SMM.

In relation to the further implementation of the Addendum to the Package of measures, the SMM visited one Ukrainian Armed Forces permanent weapons storage site and registered the serial numbers of the tanks withdrawn.

In the area of “DPR”-controlled Horlivka (45km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM observed more than 3,000 civilian vehicles waiting to proceed from “DPR”-controlled areas towards government-controlled areas through the government checkpoint in Maiorsk (45km north-east of Donetsk). The queue extended through the area between the Maiorsk checkpoint and the “DPR”-controlled checkpoint at the outskirts of Horlivka. More than 300 people were waiting for public buses at the Maiorsk checkpoint. Irritated drivers told the SMM that they had been waiting for more than 24 hours. The SMM noted that only one border guard officer was processing the vehicles at the checkpoint.

The SMM continued to observe a relatively stable situation in most areas in Luhansk region. The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons, in accordance with the provisions of the Addendum to the Package of measures. The SMM monitored the withdrawal of tanks by Ukrainian Armed Forces to a permanent weapons storage site. The SMM recorded the serial numbers of the weapons, which matched those in the inventories provided to the SMM. Additionally, the SMM monitored the withdrawal of tanks by the “Lugansk People’s Republic” (“LPR”) to a permanent weapons storage site.

At an “LPR”-controlled checkpoint near Holubivske (50km north west of Luhansk), the SMM followed-up on a report that a Ukrainian Armed Forces member had been killed in that area on 19 October. The SMM observed damage to the checkpoint and assessed it was caused by small-arms fire. Additionally, the SMM was told that two “LPR” members sustained non-life threatening injuries in the incident. The “LPR” members alleged that they had returned fire and killed a Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier. The SMM observed at the checkpoint a body dressed in camouflage with a Ukrainian flag on his right shoulder. The SMM facilitated the transfer of the deceased to a government-controlled area. Later, the SMM visited the hospital in “LPR”-controlled Kirovsk (50km north-west of Luhansk) and met with the chief doctor, who confirmed that two wounded “LPR” members had been admitted on 19 October and were still receiving care at the hospital. 

In “LPR”-controlled Obozne (18km north of Luhansk), while monitoring repair works it had facilitated on electricity infrastructure, the SMM heard a large explosion in the area of the repair site. According to a dozen electricity company workers (men, 25-45) who had been involved in the repair works, the company truck had hit an anti-tank mine that also set off an anti-personnel mine. (The SMM Daily Report 2 October 2015 refers to the repair works and the mine threat in the area.) They told the SMM that no one was injured, but the truck was heavily damaged.  

In “LPR”-controlled Ternove (15km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM observed repair works to water-supply pipes. The village had been without running water since August 2014 due to shelling.

In Luhansk region, in relation to the Addendum, the SMM revisited a Ukrainian Armed Forces permanent weapons storage site and observed that the weapons, of which the SMM was previously notified, were present.

The SMM revisited a Ukrainian Armed Forces heavy weapons holding area, whose location corresponded with respective withdrawal lines. The SMM noted that all previously recorded weapons were present.

The SMM revisited two “DPR” heavy weapons holding areas, whose locations corresponded with respective withdrawal lines. At the first area, all weapons previously registered by the SMM were present. At the second area, the SMM noted that one self-propelled howitzer (2S1, Gvozdika, 122mm) was absent.

Near a training area in “DPR”-controlled Ternove (57km east of Donetsk), the SMM observed 20 main battle tanks (MBT) (T-72). The SMM also observed on-going training activity which involved three infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) (BMP), one armoured personnel carrier (APC) (BTR-80), two MBTs, and one armoured recovery vehicle, with engineering equipment, and ten military trucks). The SMM also observed several tents, 12 civilian vehicles parked on the side of the road and approximately two dozen armed men in the area.

In violation of the respective withdrawal lines in the Luhansk region, the SMM observed in the area of government-controlled Novotoshkivske (53km north-west of Luhansk) one stationary IFV (BMP-2) equipped with one anti-tank guided missile system (9K111, Fagot), which the SMM had previously observed had been removed (see SMM Daily Report 15 October 2015) and a partly-camouflaged anti-tank guided missile system (9K111, Fagot or 9K113, Konkurs) near a defensive position. Likewise, in government-controlled Hranitne (48km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM unmanned aerial vehicle observed one camouflaged towed heavy artillery piece.

Near the checkpoint at Chonhar (162km, south-east of Kherson), on the Administrative Boundary Line between Crimea and Kherson region, the SMM observed damage and repair works to a pylon supplying electricity to the Crimean peninsula, where an explosion was reported in the early hours. The incident site is approximately 1km from the site where another pylon from the same power grid was damaged on 7 October 2015 (see SMM Daily Report 18 October 2015). At the site, the SMM observed the police keeping a security perimeter of some 300m as well as an Explosive Ordnance Unit from the Kherson regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), who removed three 82mm mortars, which had been taped to the pylon with detonators positioned in between. Local and national media as well as Crimean Tatars, Azov battalion under the MIA and Right Sector activists were also present at the site.

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

*Restrictions to SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to fulfilment of its mandate

The SMM is restrained in fulfilling its monitoring functions by restrictions imposed by the parties and security considerations, including mine threats, damaged infrastructure, and the unpredictability of the situation in Donbas. Armed individuals continue to prevent the SMM from monitoring most areas close to the international border with the Russian Federation in parts of Luhansk region not controlled by the Government.

Delayed access:

• At a checkpoint at the entrance of government-controlled Verkhnotoretske (23km north-east of Donetsk) a Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier denied the SMM passage into the village. The SMM was made to wait approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes and was then allowed to proceed.

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

* Please see the section at the end of this report entitled “Restrictions to SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to fulfilment of its mandate”.