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Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 16 September 2018

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Ukraine
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This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region between the evenings of 14 and 15 September, compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 15 and 16 September, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM observed a fresh crater caused by shelling near Dovhe. It recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas. The Mission’s access remained restricted in the disengagement areas as well as again near Verkhnoshyrokivske, Yuzhna-Lomuvatka and Zaichenko, and in Novoazovsk and Dovzhanske, near the border with the Russian Federation in non-government-controlled areas. The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station as well as to water infrastructure in Artema and between Avdiivka and Yasynuvata.*

In Donetsk region, between the evenings of 14 and 15 September, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including 89 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 50 explosions). Between the evenings of 15 and 16 September, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, however, fewer explosions (75), compared with the previous 24 hours.

On the evening and night of 14-15 September, while in Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard 29 undetermined explosions and about 25 bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 3-6km south-east. On the evening of 15-16 September, at the same location, the SMM heard about 40 undetermined explosions and about 40 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 2-5km south-east and south.

On the evening and night of 15-16 September, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration System (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk) recorded six undetermined explosions, about 30 projectiles in flight (most from west to east) and an illumination flare, all 1-3km in southerly directions.

During the day on 15 September, positioned on the south-eastern edge of Avdiivka (government-controlled, 17km north of Donetsk) for about 6.5 hours, the SMM heard 14 undetermined explosions and about 45 shots and bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 1-4km in southerly directions.

On the evening and night of 14-15 September, the SMM camera 1km south-west of Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol) recorded four undetermined explosions, about 300 projectiles in flight (mostly from north to south) and an illumination flare, all 1-5km in easterly directions. On the evening and night of 15-16 September, the same camera recorded nine undetermined explosions, about 245 projectiles in flight (most from north to south), eight muzzle flashes and three bursts of undetermined weapons, all 1-4km east-north-east and east.

During the day on 15 September, positioned near Pavlopil (government-controlled, 26km north-east of Mariupol) for about three hours, the SMM heard eight undetermined explosions and three bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all at unknown distances south and south-east, as well as two undetermined explosions and eight minutes of uncountable shots of small-arms fire followed by about 20 shots and bursts of small-arms fire, all 1-2km north-east.

On the same day, positioned 1km south-west of Lebedynske (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Mariupol) for about 45 minutes, the SMM heard eight undetermined explosions and about 50 shots and bursts of small-arms fire, all 1-2km east-north-east. Later that day, positioned in Lebedynske for about ten minutes, the SMM heard five explosions assessed as outgoing rounds and their subsequent impacts and about five shots and bursts of small-arms fire, all 2-3km north-east and east-north-east.

On the evening and night of 15-16 September, the SMM camera 1km south-west of Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded about 170 projectiles in flight (most from west to east), 26 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire and two illumination flares, all 2-4km in northerly directions.

In Luhansk region, between the evenings of 14 and 15 September, the SMM recorded no ceasefire violations, compared with 85 in the previous reporting period (34 explosions). Between the evenings of 15 and 16 September, the SMM recorded about 320 ceasefire violations, including about 215 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours.

During the day on 16 September, positioned on the eastern edge of Toshkivka (government-controlled, 60km north-west of Luhansk) for about 30 minutes, the SMM heard 215 undetermined explosions and 100 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 8-10km east-south-east.

The SMM observed a fresh crater caused by shelling on the south-eastern edge of Dovhe (non-government-controlled, 22km north-west of Luhansk). On 15 September, led by members of the armed formations, the SMM saw a fresh crater with a protruding 82mm mortar tailfin, assessed as caused by a mortar round fired from a north-north-westerly direction. The crater was in a field in the south-eastern edge of the village, about 300m north-east of an armed formations position and about 350m from the nearest residential house. Four residents of Dovhe told the SMM that they had heard fire from unknown weapons near their houses on 14 September.

The SMM continued to monitor 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.*

During the day on 15 September, positioned about 2km north of Petrivske for about 75 minutes, the SMM heard 15 bursts and shots of small-arms fire 1-2km south-east, all assessed as outside the disengagement area. Positioned near the Petrivske disengagement area on 16 September, the SMM observed a calm situation.

During the day on 16 September, positioned about 3km north of Pervomaisk (non-government-controlled, 58km west of Luhansk) for about 40 minutes, the SMM heard four undetermined explosions 3-5km north-east, assessed as outside the Zolote disengagement area.

Positioned near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area on 15 and 16 September, the SMM observed calm situations.

The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons in implementation of the Memorandum and the Package of Measures and its Addendum.

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. At two such sites in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region, on 14 September, the SMM observed 13 towed howitzers (D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm) and noted that 15 mortars (PM-38, 120mm) remained missing.