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Ukraine

Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 17 June 2018

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This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions between the evenings of 15 and 16 June compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 16 and 17 June, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission followed up on civilian casualties in Pivdenne and Druzhkivka. It observed fresh damage caused by shelling in residential areas of Pikuzy and Zolote. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Petrivske disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Pankivka. The Mission continued to facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station. In Kyiv, it monitored the “March of Equality” organized by activists of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including 145 explosions, between the evenings of 15 and 16 June, compared with the previous reporting period (about 185 explosions). Between the evenings of 16 and 17 June, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including, however, fewer explosions (about 120), compared with the previous 24 hours.

On the evening and night of 15-16 June, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, two projectiles in flight from west to east, two projectiles from north-west to south-east, an undetermined explosion, four projectiles from north-west to south-east, seven projectiles from west to east, a projectile from east to west, an undetermined explosion, three projectiles from west to east, three undetermined explosions, five projectiles from east to west, two projectiles from west to east, a projectile from east to west, five projectiles from west to east and a projectile from east to west, all 1-3km south.

On the evening and night of 15-16 June, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in Maiorsk (government-controlled, 45km north-east of Donetsk) recorded, in sequence, a projectile in flight from south to north, an undetermined explosion, 14 projectiles from south to north and four undetermined explosions, followed by, in aggregate, 15 undetermined explosions, an explosion assessed as an impact, 66 projectiles (37 from north to south and 29 from south to north), nine undetermined bursts, and an illumination flare in flight from south-east to north-west, all 4-6km east.

The following evening and night, the same camera recorded, in sequence, four projectiles in flight from south to north, a projectile from south-east to north-west and an illumination flare in vertical flight followed by, in aggregate, about 60 undetermined explosions, about 50 projectiles (including 24 from north to south and 26 from south to north) and two undetermined bursts, all 4-6km east.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations between the evenings of 15 and 16 June, including about 20 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 100 explosions). Between the evenings of 16 and 17 June, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including one explosion, compared with the previous 24 hours.

The SMM followed up on reports of two civilian casualties. On 17 June, at a hospital in Toretsk (formerly Dzerzhynsk, government‑controlled, 43km north of Donetsk) a woman (in her forties) with a large blood-stained bandage on her chest told the SMM that on 16 June she had been at home on Poltavska Street in the Chyhari area of Pivdenne (formerly Leninske, government-controlled, 40km north-east of Donetsk) when she heard shelling and saw that a fire had broken out near her home. She said that she had attempted to extinguish the flames when an explosion occurred nearby and she saw that her chest was covered in blood. She said she immediately went to a nearby checkpoint of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, from where she was taken to the hospital. Medical staff at the hospital told the SMM that more than 20 pieces of shrapnel had been removed from the woman’s body on 16 June.

At a hospital in Druzhkivka (government-controlled, 72km north of Donetsk), a man (in his thirties) whose left arm was bandaged up to his elbow told the SMM that on 15 June in a field near Raiske (government-controlled, 69km north of Donetsk) he had found what he assessed to be a heavy-machine-gun bullet (12.7mm) missing its casing, which exploded in his hand when he picked it up. Medical staff at the hospital showed the SMM what they said were pictures of the man’s injuries, revealing tissue damage to his fingers and forearm.

On 15 June, the SMM observed fresh damage caused by shelling in residential areas of Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol). At 98 Akhmatovoi Street, the SMM saw that most of the corrugated asbestos roof of an inhabited house had been blown off and saw multiple 3-15cm holes in the blown-off roof panel. The SMM assessed the roof damage to have been caused by a blast wave and the holes to have been caused by shrapnel. In the floor of the house’s attic, the SMM also saw a fresh 2m-by-2m hole and scratches assessed as caused by shrapnel. In the house’s kitchen, the SMM found fresh pieces of shrapnel. The SMM assessed the damage to have been caused by a 120mm mortar round fired from a westerly direction. The home’s owner told the SMM that there had been shelling in the village around 07:00 on 15 June and that she and her son had taken refuge in their shelter as soon as the shelling had begun.

At 100 Akhmatovoi Street (about 40m east of the abovementioned impact site), the SMM observed rubble, bricks and wooden planks lying in a fresh heap, which it assessed as having been caused by an artillery or large-calibre-mortar round striking the structure that had previously stood there. A resident of Akhmatovoi Street told the SMM that there had been an uninhabited house there, which was destroyed on the morning of 15 June.

At 96 Akhmatovoi Street (about 30m west of the house at 98 Akhmatovoi Street), the SMM saw a single-storey house with an entry hall whose roof and door were torn off. The Mission saw a fresh hole in the house’s western wall and that all four of the house’s west-facing windows were shattered. About 4m west of the house, the SMM saw remnants of a recently destroyed barn. The SMM assessed that the roof and the door of the house had been blown off by a blast wave and the hole had been caused by shrapnel, all caused by a 120mm mortar round fired from a westerly direction. According to a woman living on the same street, the house was uninhabited and was damaged on the morning of 15 June.

In a field near 65 Akhmatovoi Street, the SMM observed two fresh craters, assessed as caused by 122mm artillery rounds fired from a south-westerly direction. A resident on the same street told the SMM that the impacts had occurred at around 19:00 on 14 June.

On the exterior west-facing wall of an abandoned multi-storey building at 27/2 Akhmatovoi Street, the SMM observed black scorch marks around a fresh crater. Nearby, at 27 Akhmatovoi Street, the SMM observed a fresh 30mm-wide hole in the wooden ceiling of the building’s entryway and plaster damage, assessed as caused by shrapnel. The SMM assessed the damage to both buildings to have been caused by 73mm rounds fired from a westerly direction. In the tarmac in front of the building at 27 Akhmatovoi Street, the SMM saw a crater and pieces of shrapnel. The SMM assessed the crater to have been caused by an 82mm mortar round fired from a westerly direction.

At 19 Vyrobnycha Street in Zolote-5 (non-government-controlled, 61km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM saw a large fresh hole (70cm in diameter) and seven smaller holes in the corrugated asbestos roof panels of a single-storey house. The SMM assessed the damage to have been caused by an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) (BMP-1) cannon (73mm) round fired from a northerly direction. The owners of the house told the SMM that they had been awakened by a strong explosion at around 04:10 on 16 June and subsequently left their house at which point they observed the damage to its roof.

At 24 Korchahina Street (about 300m north-west of 19 Vyrobnycha Street), the SMM observed the remnants of a house whose attic and chimney had been incinerated and a hole in the upper part of its north-facing wall. The SMM assessed the damage to have been caused by the impact of an undetermined weapon round fired from a northerly direction. A neighbour told the SMM that the house has been uninhabited for the last decade and that he had heard a large explosion at around 05:00 on 16 June and saw that the house was ablaze.

The SMM continued to monitor the disengagement process and to pursue full access to the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk), Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) and Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), as foreseen in the Framework Decision of the Trilateral Contact Group relating to disengagement of forces and hardware of 21 September 2016. The SMM’s access remained restricted, but the Mission was able to partially monitor them.*

On the evening and night of 14-15 June, the SMM camera in Petrivske recorded 23 explosions 0.5-2km south-south-west and west (all assessed as inside the disengagement area) and one explosion 200-500m north (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

On 16 June, approximately 2km north of Petrivske, the SMM observed four men in military-type uniform, one carrying an anti-tank guided missile (9M133 Kornet, 152mm) which he dropped into tall grass after becoming aware of the SMM’s presence.

On the evening of 17 June, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded, in sequence, an undetermined explosion, 12 projectiles in flight from south-west to north-east, 33 projectiles from south-east to north-west, and one projectile from north-north-west to south-south-east, all 6-10km south, as well as three projectiles 10-15km east and three projectiles in vertical flight 6-10km east (all assessed as outside the disengagement area).

On 16 and 17 June, while in the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska, the SMM observed a calm situation.

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 in a government-controlled area on 16 June, the SMM saw 12 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) (BM-21 Grad, 122mm) near Pankivka (60km north-west of Donetsk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside of designated storage sites in government-controlled areas,[2] the SMM saw three anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) in Rubizhne (84km north-west of Luhansk) on 15 June. On 16 June, the SMM saw three anti-tank guns (MT-12), three self-propelled howitzers (2S3 Akatsiya, 152mm) and two self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) near Khlibodarivka (65km south-west of Donetsk) as well as a tank (T‑64) and three anti-tank guns (MT-12) near Zachativka (74km south-west of Donetsk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside of designated storage sites in non-government-controlled areas, the SMM saw ten tanks (type undetermined) near Ternove (57km east of Donetsk), six tanks (type undetermined) near Pokrovka (36km east of Donetsk) and a surface-to-air missile system (9K33 Osa) near Novoamvrosiivske (56km east of Donetsk).

The SMM observed weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage did not comply with the criteria set out in the 16 October 2015 notification from the SMM to the signatories of the Package of Measures on effective monitoring and verification of the withdrawal of heavy weapons. In government-controlled areas beyond the respective withdrawal lines in Donetsk region, the SMM observed two self-propelled howitzers (2S1) and noted as missing 12 MLRS (BM-21) (including four for the first time), 19 self-propelled howitzers (eight 2S1 (all for the first time) and 11 2S3) and six towed howitzers (D-20, 152mm).

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles, anti-aircraft guns[3] and new trenches in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw an IFV (BMP-2) in Pyshchevyk (25km north-east of Mariupol) on 15 June and an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) mounted on a pick-up truck near Lebedynske (16km north-east of Mariupol) on 16 June. Also on 16 June, an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted four IFVs (BMP variants) near Mykolaivka (40km south of Donetsk), two IFVs (BMP variants) near Slavne (26km south-west of Donetsk) and two IFVs (BMP variants) and 25m of trenches north-west of Viktorivka (42km south-west of Donetsk) that were not present in imagery recorded on 30 September 2017.

In non-government-controlled areas, the SMM saw an IFV (BMP-1) in Starolaspa (51km south of Donetsk) and nine IFVs (BMP variants) in Novolaspa (50km south of Donetsk) on 15 June. On 16 June, an SMM long-range UAV spotted an armoured personnel carrier (MT-LB) in a compound on the south-eastern edge of Dokuchaievsk (30km south-west of Donetsk) and an IFV (BMP-2) near Lohvynove (59km north-east of Donetsk).

The SMM continued to observe mines. On 15 June, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted again 12 anti-tank mines (TM-62) on road T0519 on the western edge of Pikuzy. (See SMM Daily Report 17 October 2017.)

The SMM continued to facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to and from the DFS, as well as demining activities around the station, including through monitoring adherence to the ceasefire on 16 and 17 June. Positioned in areas near the DFS, the SMM heard ceasefire violations, despite explicit security guarantees (see above and table below for ceasefire violations). On 17 June, the SMM observed a bulldozer driven by a man in military-style clothing altering positions of the armed formations approximately 1.5km east-south-east of the DFS.

The SMM visited a border area not under government control. While at a border crossing point near Ulianivske (61km south-east of Donetsk) for about 40 minutes on 16 June, the SMM saw three pedestrians exiting Ukraine and two pedestrians entering Ukraine.

In Kyiv, the SMM monitored the pre-announced “March of Equality” organized by activists of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community as well as two protests in opposition to it (for observations of the same event in 2017, see SMM Daily Report 19 June 2017). At 57 Volodymyrska Street on the evening of 16 June, the Mission saw a protest of 40 people (mostly men in their twenties) gathered to, they said, “disrupt” the “March of Equality”. On 17 June, local police announced that at around 06:00 that day they had detained about 60 of the 150 protesters who had attempted to occupy a part of Volodymyrska Street. Police also said that those detained were associated with C14 (Sich’) and that five police officers had been injured during the operation. Between 08:00 and 10:00 on the same day, the SMM observed another protest of about 300 people (men and women, aged 20-70), near the intersection of Bohdana Khmelnytskoho and Volodmyrska Streets. The Mission heard them chanting messages critical of the march and saw some holding banners to the same effect. It noted that the protest ended without incident. At the same location at around 10:00, the SMM saw that about 3,500 people (mostly women, aged 20-30) were gathered for the “March of Equality” and started marching towards Lva Tolstoho Square. During the march, the Mission observed some of them holding banners with messages such as “Country of the Free People: Be Yourself” and heard them chanting slogans such as “All different - all equal!” The SMM saw about 5,000 police and National Guard officers, some of them wearing riot gear, who were conducting security checks of every person entering the cordoned-off march zone. The march ended without incident.

The SMM also monitored a gathering in Mariinskyi Park which had been announced by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The SMM observed some 400 people gathered for what the organizers described as a prayer service dedicated to family values. The church had previously publically appealed to the Kyiv City Administration to prevent the march from taking place. The event took place without incident.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Chernivtsi.

*Restrictions of 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 (UXO), 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 Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (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 (see SMM Daily Report 15 June 2018). 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.