Latest from osce special monitoring mission

1. Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on
information received as of 18:00 (Kyiv time), 14 December 2014
This report is for media and the general public.
The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and
the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The SMM followed up on reports concerning
the closure of air traff ic at Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk international airports.
On 13 December, the SMM met the commander of the “Humanitarian Battalion” of the so -called “Ghost”
brigade in “Lugansk People’s Republic” (“LPR”) -controlled Alchevsk (44km West ofLuhansk) (see Daily
Report 7 December). The interlocutor informed the SMM that they were operating seven soup kitchens in
Alchevsk and its vicinity, as well as visiting some private accommodations where elderly or ill people
resided. To deliver humanitarian aid - including medicines to local hospitals- the “Humanitarian
Battalion” was reportedly relying on local companies, private donors and the association “Russian
Community”.
On 13 December, the SMM visited “LPR”-controlled Kirovsk (58 km West of Luhansk) and spoke to a
number of local residents, who told the SMM that between 3 November and 9 December six residents
of Kirovsk had died and that at least ten civilians had been wounded as a result of frequent shelling. In
Kirovsk, the SMM observed significant damage to and partial destruction of a number of civilian houses.
On 13 December, in Donetsk city, the SMM met officers of the General Staffs of Ukraine and the
Russian Federation who had recently established a co-ordination group in Donetsk as part of the JCCC
(see Daily Report 4 December). Ukrainian and Russian colonels, each leading a team of three, and one
“Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”) member were present. The colonels explained that their main role
was to co-ordinate the activities of all JCCC units in their sector and to report to the headquarters (HQ)
in Debaltseve. The Russian colonel said that efforts by both sides had led to an improved situation in
and around Donetsk airport, and that, on 12 December, an agreement had been reached between
“DPR” and Ukrainian commanders on troop rotation (see Daily Report 12 December).
On 13 and 14 December, the SMM visited the JCCC HQ in government -controlled Debaltseve (55km
North-East of Donetsk), where four officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, four officers of the Russian
Federation Armed Forces, and members of the “DPR” and “LPR” were present. The SMM was given a
copy of a letter dated 9 December, signed by both the Ukrainian and Russian Gener als, asking the
“LPR” and “DPR” about their readiness to comply with the Minsk Memorandum as part of a 9 December
ceasefire. The SMM was shown a letter from the “LPR” dated 10 December, signed by a “deputy head
of the People’s Council”, saying that the “LPR” was prepared to start withdrawing large calibre weapons
at 09:00hrs on 11 December; and another letter dated 11 December from a member of the “DPR”
stating that the “DPR” had already begun to withdraw large calibre weaponry. The Russian chief of staff
said that the “LPR” had started to withdraw heavy weapons between Trokhizbenka (40km North -West
of Luhansk) and Novokyivka (25km East of Luhansk), and the “DPR” between Pyshevyk (84km South
of Donetsk) and Hranitne (63km South-East of Donetsk).
On 14 December, the SMM conducted a patrol to “DPR”-controlled Shirokyne (120km South of
Donetsk), aimed at proceeding further east towards Novoazovsk (122km South of Donetsk). This was

2. the sixth attempt by the SMM in the past eight days to reach Novoazovsk. After moving through the
village of Shirokyne and stopping at a “DPR” checkpoint, the SMM was told by its personnel that it was
not allowed to proceed further. No specific reason was given.
In Kharkiv, the SMM observed around 100 people, of mixed gender and age, gathering on Liberty
square. Members of the volunteer “Azov” battalion, the “Right Sector” political party and the NGO “Civil
Self-Defense” were also present. Those gathered on the square were complaining against the
perceived attempts by the local authorities to prevent the participation of civil society in the city council’s
work. Activists announced that they would organize a rally in front of the council building on 24
December to demand broader inclusion of civil society in the work of the city authorities. The SMM
observed around 100 police officers near the scene. The event ended peacefully.
The SMM followed up on media reports that Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia had been closed
to air traffic as of 13 December. Ukrainian authorities in Kharkiv confirmed to the SMM that the city’s
international airport was closed for security reasons until further notice and that all international and
domestic flights had been cancelled.
On 13 December, the SMM visited Dnipropetrovsk Airport, where staff said that all flights had been
cancelled, but did not give further explanations. The staff member at the information desk said that this
measure would remain in place until Monday morning. The SMM did not observe any changes in
security measures at the airport.
On 12 December, in Dnipropetrovsk, the SMM met with representatives of the Anti -Crisis Media Centre
(ACMC), an NGO with offices in Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kyiv, and Kharkiv. They said that
on 16 December in Novomoskovsk (25km North-East of Dnipropetrovsk) the ACMC was organizing the
first of several roundtable discussions on the topic of decentralisation. The mayor of Novomoskovsk,
regional authorities, NGOs, and social activists are expected to take part.
On 11 December, in Mykolaiv (70km North-West of Kherson), the SMM met with members of the
Mykolaiv Regional Council and military authorities. According to the deputy chief enlistment officer of
the Mykolaiv Region, the fourth wave of mobilisation was expected to begin in January 2015.
On 13 December, the SMM monitored a demonstration organized by Euromaidan activists in front
of Odessa City Hall. Approximately 60 protesters, of mixed gender and age, participated in the protest,
organized against perceived widespread and unregulated construction along the coast and in the
historic centre of Odessa. About 20 police officers secured the area. The protest was peaceful.
In Odessa, the SMM monitored a demonstration on Kulikovo Pole square, organized by anti - Maidan
activists, which gathered around 50 people, mainly elderly men and women. Some 15 police officers
were visible during the event. The gathering passed off peacefully.
In Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv the situation remained calm.
On 14 December, the SMM visited the border crossing point (BCP) in Porubne (40km South
ofChernivtsi) on the Ukrainian-Romanian border. The SMM observed 12 trucks lining up on the
Ukrainian side. The border guards’ shift commander said that traffic had reduced over the last few
weeks and that it would decrease further during the holiday season. The interlocutor described the
general situation at the BCP as calm.

3. On 14 December, the SMM observed a regular gathering of Maidan activists on Maidan Square in Kyiv.
The speakers recalled the “Maidan revolution” and expressed their discontent as, in their view, little had
changed in the country since then. The event gathered some 100 people, mainly males, of mixed age.
No police presence was visible.