Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 9 September 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”. Its monitoring was restricted by security considerations*. The SMM recorded a decrease in ceasefire violation numbers both in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared to the previous day. Considerable movement of military equipment to the west of the contact line was observed by the SMM in Donetsk region.
The SMM continued to monitor the ceasefire situation from the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) observation post at the “Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”)-controlled Donetsk railway station (8km north-west of Donetsk city centre). During its observation the SMM recorded a total of 15 undetermined explosions at locations ranging from 3 km to 10km west, north-west, north, north-east, and south-east of the SMM position.[1] The Russian Federation Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces JCCC officers present at the observation post claimed all of the explosions were controlled detonations of unexploded ordinance, as a result of the ongoing demining activities performed both in government-controlled and “DPR”-controlled areas.
Additionally, between 14:06 and 16:30hrs at this JCCC observation post the SMM heard over 60 bursts of small arms and light weapons (SALW) fire at locations 3-4km north and north-west of its position. The SMM also visited the observation posts in the area to the west of Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol). The general situation was calm, and the SMM observed no military activity. The Ukrainian Armed Forces commander in Berdianske (18km east of Mariupol) confirmed to the SMM that the situation in the area was calm. Similarly, the Ukrainian Armed Forces JCCC officer in Dzerzhynsk (42km north of Donetsk) told the SMM that the situation had been calm during the last couple of days.
The duty officer at the police station in Dzerzhynsk informed the SMM that a weapons cache had been found in a local garage. It contained about 5,000 rounds of ammunition of 5.45mm and 7.62mm calibre, 4 “Mukha”-type portable rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 20 hand grenades, 4 anti-personnel mines, and 4kg of TNT explosive material.
The SMM observed military movement in government-controlled areas of Donetsk region. In Artemove, Kirove, and Druzhba (40km, 42km, and 44km north of Donetsk respectively) the SMM noted a few trucks with military personnel. Near the government-controlled Ulakly (53km west of Donetsk) the SMM witnessed 14 self-propelled howitzers (2S3, Akatsiya, 152mm), 11 armoured personnel carriers (most of them MT-LB type), two trucks with flatbeds carrying each a main battle tank (MBT, T-64), and four military trucks, all heading west.
Another convoy was witnessed west of Ulakly, heading away from the contact line, and including six MBTs (T-64), four armoured vehicles, three military flatbed trucks transporting armoured vehicles, and some 25 military trucks carrying equipment. The SMM assessed the total number of military personnel involved in the observed movements to be between 250 and 300.
Some military movement was also observed in the Luhansk region, although on a lesser scale. The SMM witnessed three trucks and three school busses moving military personnel near the government-controlled Novoaidar (49km north-west of Luhansk) area. Military movement was also spotted in the “Lugansk People’s Republic” (“LPR”)-controlled area of Lutuhyne (21km south-west of Luhansk), where the SMM observed two military trucks carrying soldiers towards the direction of Krasnyi Luch (55km south-west of Luhansk).
In government-controlled Sartana (15km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM observed, next to the municipal administration building, a queue of 7-8 people, half of which were female. According to an administration clerk the group waited to receive government assistance to purchase building materials for repairing the houses that the group said were damaged in recent shelling.
Near the government-controlled Zaitseve (48km north of Donetsk) checkpoint, the SMM observed some 150 civilian vehicles waiting to cross into “DPR”-controlled areas, and about 430 civilian vehicles waiting to cross into the government-controlled areas. The Ukrainian border guards’ commander at the Hnutove (19km north-east of Mariupol) checkpoint shared with the SMM that a list of ten children attending school was finalized, allowing them to cross the checkpoint without waiting in line (see daily report 4 September 2015). The commander also said that the average clearance rate of crossing in each direction was about 1,000 people a day.
In the area of “LPR”-controlled Zhovte (17km north-west of Luhansk) the SMM observed ongoing repair works on the electric pylons, conducted by the “Luhansk Electricity Company Network” (see daily report 28 August 2015).
The SMM visited a number of schools on both sides of the contact line. In government-controlled Popasna (69km west of Luhansk) the SMM was informed by the headmaster of school Nr. 24 that the school had registered 152 pupils for the academic year, which was half as many as the previous year. The secondary school in government-controlled Nyzhnoteple (24km north of Luhansk) remained damaged from shelling at the start of the school year.
At the local secondary school Nr. 23 in the “LPR”-controlled Horodyshche (57km south-west of Luhansk), the school principal told the SMM that the pupils were provided with new books which attempt to reflect the school curriculum of the Russian Federation. At the local school in the “LPR”-controlled Buhaivka (38km south-west of Luhansk) however, pupils are – according to the village council representative – still using Ukrainian books.
The SMM continued to monitor the situation in Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Odessa, Chernivtsi, Kherson, Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv.
*Restrictions to SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to the fulfilment of its mandate:
The SMM is restrained in fulfilling its monitoring functions by restrictions imposed by the parties and security considerations, including the presence – and lack of information on the whereabouts – of mines, and damaged infrastructure. The security situation in Donbas is fluid and unpredictable and the ceasefire does not hold everywhere. Self-imposed restrictions on movement into high-risk areas have impinged on SMM patrolling activities, particularly in areas not controlled by the government. Members of the “LPR” continue to prevent the SMM from monitoring most areas close to the border with the Russian Federation.
Besides the above-mentioned general restrictions that continue, the SMM was not subject to any specific restriction of its freedom of movement on 9 September.
[1] For a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations, 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 the fulfillment of its mandate”.