Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30hrs, February 9, 2016
This is the daily report of the Special Monitoring Mission of inspectors of the Organizations for Security and Cooperation in Europe:
http://www.osce.org/ukraine-smm/221716
The SMM observed numerous ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons. The Mission encountered freedom-of-movement restrictions, the majority in areas not controlled by the Government.* The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repair work to critical infrastructure.
SMM observed ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Positioned 6km north-west of Donetsk city centre, between 8:55 and 16:00hrs, the SMM heard 192 undetermined explosions (mostly 82mm mortar impacts), 13 short bursts (4-6 rounds each) of small-arms fire, and 46 short bursts (4-6 rounds each) of heavy-machine-gun fire, 4-8km to the north, north-east, north-north-west, west, west-north-west and south-west.
Positioned in city-centre Donetsk, between 01:45 and 02:32hrs, the SMM heard two undetermined explosions and light-weapons bursts, 7-10km to the west-north-west.
On 8 February, between 22:47hrs and 23:15hrs, positioned in government-controlled Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard ten undetermined explosions, 5-6km to the south-south-east.
Positioned 2km north of “DPR”-controlled Debaltseve (58km north-east of Donetsk) between 10:45 and 11:30hrs, the SMM heard 31 undetermined explosions, 7km to the north-west.
Close to a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint near government-controlled Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM heard an airburst and saw a cloud of black smoke 500m to the north-north-east.
In “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata (16km north-east of Donetsk), between 10:55 and 12:50hrs, the SMM heard three undetermined explosions 4-5km to the south-south-west; one undetermined explosion 4-5kms to the north-north-west; and, ten undetermined explosions and four heavy-machine-gun bursts (approximately 50 rounds) approximately 2km to the south.
Positioned near “DPR”-controlled Telmanove (50km north-east of Mariupol), between 11:02 and 11:36hrs, the SMM heard eight explosions 2-3km to the east.
Positioned in government-controlled Pavlopil (26km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM heard six undetermined explosions from the north-east between 11:31 and 12:10hrs; and three explosions 10km to the south at 12:39hrs.
The SMM observed a number of ceasefire violations in Luhansk region, mostly assessed as training related. However, 5km south-east of government-controlled Shchastia (20km north of Luhansk), the SMM heard nine explosions in a five-minute period 15km to the north-east.
Positioned near government-controlled Troitske (69km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard two explosions and three bursts of machine-gun fire 5km to the south; one explosion 1-2km to the south; and two heavy explosions 5-6km to the north-east.
Positioned near “LPR”-controlled Veselohorivka (64km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard three large explosions 3km to the south-west.
The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the Addendum to the Package of Measures. In violation of respective withdrawal lines, the SMM observed two mortars loaded on trucks in Donetsk city-centre, moving north.
Beyond the withdrawal lines but outside storage sites, the SMM observed the following Addendum-regulated weapons: 22 tanks (T-64 and T-72) in an “LPR” training area near Kruhlyk (31km south-west of Luhansk).
The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the Addendum to the Package of Measures. In violation of respective withdrawal lines, the SMM observed two mortars loaded on trucks in Donetsk city-centre, moving north.
Beyond the withdrawal lines but outside storage sites, the SMM observed the following Addendum-regulated weapons: 22 tanks (T-64 and T-72) in an “LPR” training area near Kruhlyk (31km south-west of Luhansk).
The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of heavy weapons foreseen in the Minsk Package of Measures. The SMM has yet to receive the full information requested in the 16 October 2015 notification. The SMM revisited locations known to the SMM as heavy weapons holding areas, even though they do not comply with the specific criteria set out for permanent storage sites in the 16 October 2015 notification.
In government-controlled areas beyond the respective withdrawal lines, the SMM revisited such locations and observed: 36 towed howitzers (18 2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm and 18 2A65 Msta-B, 152mm) and one self-propelled howitzer (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm).
In violation of respective withdrawal lines the SMM saw in government-controlled areas, in what the Ukrainian Armed Forces said were holding areas, six towed anti-tank guns (2A29/MT-12 Rapira, 100mm), all hitched to multi-purpose armoured vehicles (MT-LB) carrying boxes with ammunition); and 18 towed howitzers (2A65 Msta-B, 152mm), 15 of which were hitched to military trucks loaded with ammunition.
The SMM continued to observe the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Two kilometres north of “DPR”-controlled Debaltseve (58km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM observed an Uragan UXO. The SMM again observed eight anti-tank mines at a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint near government-controlled Marinka (see SMM Daily Report 6 February 2016).
The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to critical infrastructure. Whilst close to the gas pipeline repair site near Marinka, the SMM recorded 27 single shots of small-arms fire 2-5km north-east and south-east of its position. Repair work continued nonetheless. In Luhansk region, the SMM monitored ongoing repair work to a water pipeline between “LPR”-controlled Krasnyi Lyman (30km north-west of Luhansk) and government-controlled Trokhizbenka (33km north-west of Luhansk).
The SMM continued to monitor the situation in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Dnepropetrovsk, Chernivtsi, and Kyiv.
