The SMM observed fresh damage as a result of shelling. On 26 May in Toretsk (government-controlled, 43km north of Donetsk), the SMM followed up on reports of damage to two hospitals.

At the Tuberculosis Hospital at 25 Haidara Street the SMM saw broken windows on the eastern side of the building on all three floors. Six patients (men, aged 40-50) told the SMM that they had been present when the shelling took place around 04:45 on the morning of 25 May.

Approximately 200m west of the Tuberculosis Hospital, the SMM observed broken windows, about 20 overall, on all three floors on the southern side of the building, damage to the southern side of the roof, and dents and holes in the outer southern wall of the Psychological Hospital. The SMM observed an impact, 2m wide, about 4m south of the building, near the entrance. The SMM observed that Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel had been staying in part of the hospital building, including before the shelling.

On 26 May, imagery from an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) revealed an impact on the eastern end of the roof of the Psychological Hospital, which the SMM assessed was caused by a 122mm artillery round. Damage to the southern-facing wall of the building and windows was also visible, along with debris on the ground. Imagery also revealed an impact 100m east of the hospital, which was assessed as caused by a 122mm artillery round fired from a south-easterly direction.

At 14 Rimskoho-Korsakova Street, the SMM saw a hole in the external upper eastern wall of an apartment building (about 650cm in diameter), on the third floor between two windows. At apartment no. 22 on the third floor, the SMM saw a hole about 30cm in diameter in the ceiling and a hole about 20cm in diameter in the floor. Three residents of the building (women, aged late thirties to sixties) told the SMM that the damage was caused by shelling around midnight on 25-26 May.

On 25 May, in Bohdanivka (government-controlled, 41km south-west of Donetsk), the SMM observed three impact sites. At the first impact site on 1 Lenina Street, the SMM saw at least 25 fresh holes from 4cm to 20cm wide on the south-facing concrete, garden wall, on the east-facing wall of a barn and a shattered window, all assessed to be caused by shrapnel. The SMM saw a crater about 10m south-east of the barn’s southern wall and assessed it as caused by a 122mm artillery round fired from a north-easterly direction. A female resident (eighties) who showed signs of shock said that the shelling had happened on 24 May around 21:30 and that she had been at home at the time.

At 52 Lenina Street, the SMM saw a fresh crater about 2m east of a house. The SMM saw 15 holes, up to 7cm in diameter in the north- and south-facing sides of an ambulance parked about 4m east of the house. The driver’s side window had been destroyed. The SMM assessed the damage to be caused by an artillery round (122mm) fired from a north-easterly direction.

At 56 Lenina Street, the SMM saw a fresh crater located about 15m south of a house. The SMM assessed that the crater was caused by an artillery round (either 122mm or 152mm) fired from a north-easterly direction.

On 26 May, at the entry-exit checkpoint in Maiorsk, a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer showed the SMM a hole on one of the modules used for checking the passports of civilians crossing the contact line. The SMM could see both an entrance and an exit hole and assessed that it was caused by a round of small arms fired from a southerly direction.

Source: SMM OSCE