Source: OSCE

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the women and men of the Mission, who – for five years now – have been working every day, under challenging circumstances, to carry out their crucial tasks as the principal and largest international monitoring presence on the ground. They deserve our gratitude and our support,” Mr. Lajčák said. “The monitors are the eyes and ears of the organization – and indeed, of the international community – and they directly contribute to the prevention of further escalation,” he added.

Source: OSCE

On 23 April, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted for the first time 30 anti-tank mines (types undetermined) laid out in two rows running from north to south for about 70m in a field and another 150 anti-tank mines (types undetermined) laid out in two rows running from north to south for about 420m, all about 3km east of Troitske (government-controlled, 30km north of Donetsk). The same UAV again spotted about 600 anti-tank mines (types undetermined) running from north to south for about 500m, about 3.5km east of Novoselivka (government-controlled, 31km north of Donetsk) and again about 500 anti-tank mines (types undetermined) laid out in three rows running from north to south about 4km north-east of Novoselivka.

On 24 April, on the southern edge of Debaltseve (non-government-controlled, 58km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM saw for the first time a piece of unexploded ordnance (UXO), assessed as a 122mm rocket from an MLRS (BM-21) embedded in the asphalt on the northern side of road M-03 about 200m east-south-east of a bridge above railway tracks, which is used daily by civilians and the SMM.

On the north-western edge of Novohryhorivka (non-government-controlled, 61km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM saw for the first time an improvised mine hazard sign, with “passage forbidden mines” written in Russian, attached to a wooden gate across a road leading to Nyzhnie Lozove (non-government-controlled, 59km north-east of Donetsk).

About 650m south-east of a checkpoint of the armed formations near Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk), on the south-eastern side of road T-0513, the SMM again saw a white improvised mine hazard sign with “mines” written in Russian, attached to a wooden stick in the ground.

On the eastern edge of Chermalyk, the SMM again saw a red mine hazard sign, with “Stop Mines” in Ukrainian, attached to a rope extended across a road leading to a cemetery.

Source: SMM OSCE

The SMM still recorded more ceasefire violations both in Luhansk and Donetsk region.

Source: SMM OSCE

At a hospital in Kurakhove (government-controlled, 40km west of Donetsk), on 16 June, the SMM saw the wife (56 years old) of the abovementioned man with cuts and bruises to her right hand and leg. She said that in the early morning hours of 14 June, while inside her house, she had heard an explosion, saw a bright light and smoke, then lost consciousness. Shortly after, the woman told the SMM she had regained consciousness and had seen all four of her family members being pulled from the rubble of her house with injuries. On 16 June, medical staff at the hospital told the SMM that the woman had sustained bruises from debris and shrapnel injuries to both of her legs and hands, and that the man had sustained bruises from debris and shrapnel wounds to both his hands and legs. Medical staff also said that the woman’s granddaughter (nine years old), daughter (30 years old) and father-in-law (86 years old) had sustained injuries, including bruises and shrapnel wounds as a result of the incident.

Source: OSCE

On 13 August, in Verkhnoshyrokivske, led by members of the armed formations, the SMM followed up on reports regarding damages to single-storey residential houses (see above).

At 4 Zoriana Street, the SMM observed a hole (2m in diameter) in the roof of an inhabited residential house and a corresponding hole in the ceiling of a room, as well as the tailfin of a mortar round stuck in the south-facing wall of the same room. The SMM assessed the damage to be fresh and the tailfin to belong to an undetonated 82mm mortar round fired from a north-westerly direction. At the same address, residents (two women in their forties and sixties, and a man in his twenties) told the SMM that they, as well as another man in his twenties, were inside the house when it was hit, but that nobody had suffered any injuries. About 50m north of the house, the Mission also observed a hole (3m in diameter) and broken tiles on the roof of a storage shed, assessed as fresh and caused by an 82mm mortar round from a north-westerly direction.

At 10 Zoriana Street, about 100m east of the aforementioned house, the SMM observed two craters, one in a yard, about 20m south of an inhabited residential house and the other in the asphalt road, about 30m south of the house. The SMM assessed the two craters to be fresh and caused by 120mm mortar rounds from a north-westerly direction.

At 11 Zoriana Street, about 30m north of the house at 10 Zoriana Street, the Mission saw that almost all roof tiles of an inhabited residential house were missing, and that a south-facing window was shattered. It also observed that the tiles and beams of the roof of a summer kitchen, 10m east of the residential house, were missing. The SMM assessed the damage to be fresh and caused by impacts of 120mm mortar rounds from a north-westerly direction. The SMM also saw four craters (1.5m in diameter), one about 2m south-east and three in a field about 30m north-east of the house. The SMM assessed the craters as fresh and likely caused by 120mm mortar rounds from a north-westerly direction. The owner of the house (a woman in her sixties) told the SMM that a mortar round had hit her house in the morning of 12 August while she and her grandson had been in the shelter of a neighbour’s house.

The SMM observed five craters in the asphalt road, as well as in soft ground, about 70m south-east of the aforementioned residential house, with the closest being 10m south of a residential house. It assessed them all as fresh and caused by 120m mortar rounds from a north-westerly direction. Nearby, it observed four electricity lines hanging off an electricity pole, assessed as having been caused by shrapnel from the aforementioned mortar rounds.

At 13 Zoriana Street, about 200m south-east of the aforementioned residential house, the Mission observed that the tiles and beams of a roof of an inhabited residential house were missing, that all its nine windows were shattered and that there were cracks in the north-, south-, and west-facing walls of the house. The SMM also observed household items scattered around the house, assessed as caused by a blast. It assessed the damage as fresh and caused by a direct hit of a mortar round from a north-westerly direction. The owner of the house (a woman in her seventies) told the Mission that she lives alone and had been at home in her yard when it had been hit in the morning of 12 August.

At 17 Zoriana Street, about 70m north-west of the aforementioned house, the SMM observed a crater in soft ground about 10m south of an inhabited residential house, assessed as fresh and caused by a 120mm mortar round from a north-westerly direction. Also, the Mission observed multiple shrapnel holes to the gate and fence located 4m south-east of the house. The owners of the house (a man in his fifties and a woman in her twenties) told the SMM that their house had been impacted in the morning of 12 August, when the woman had been in the yard.

The SMM observed that several houses on Zoriana Street were occupied by members of the armed formations.

Source: SMM OSCE

At a functioning hospital on the south-western edge of Zolote-5/Mykhailivka (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk), the SMM observed holes and broken glass in two windows on a north-north-west facing wall (one on the first floor and one on the third floor). The SMM assessed that the two holes and broken glass were caused by small-arms fire. Staff at the hospital told the SMM that they had discovered the damage on 23 January.

Source: OSCE

Source: OSCE

On 14 February, on a dirt road about 220m north-west of Pikuzy an SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted a recent impact crater, which was about 220m north-west of houses on the edge of the settlement. The same UAV spotted another fresh impact crater near a position of the armed formations in a field about 800m south-west of Pikuzy.

On 13 and 14 February, the SMM had been prevented by members of the armed formations from accessing Pikuzy.

Source: OSCE

Later, the SMM saw two fresh craters (about 70cm in diameter) in the area, about 100m and 300m south of the SMM’s residence. At the location of the first crater, 2m east of a gas distribution station, the Mission observed that four bricks on the east-facing side of the station and an extended part of the corrugated roof on the same side were damaged. At the second crater, about 7-8m north of a residential apartment building at 70 Kobozeva Street, the SMM saw dirt and small holes on the north-facing side of the building, consistent with the dirt and pebbles on the ground.

The Mission assessed the damage at both sites as having been caused by the detonation of explosive devices without casing (type undetermined).

The SMM noted no significant changes in the general security situation in the city.

Source: OSCE