This report is for media and the general public.

In Kharkiv the monument to Cossack Ataman Ivan Sirko, which had been inaugurated on 23 August 2014, was vandalised during the night of 2 September. Footage of the monument painted green was circulated in the local media.

The SMM monitored a protest of 15-20 Euromaidan activists, in front of the Kharkiv regional administration building, demanding better security for the population in the region and the mobilisation of available tanks and weaponry for the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO). The protest ended peacefully.

In Luhansk the situation continued to be tense. The SMM visited the Starobilsk Detention Centre where the director said that the number of detainees, most of whom are accused of terrorism, is continuously increasing.

In Donetsk the SMM visited the site of alleged unexploded Grad rockets in the Petrovskiy region of Donetsk city in the early morning hours. The SMM observed two craters alleged to be caused by Grad rockets, shot at around 4 a.m. on 3 September. Local residents informed the SMM that they had also heard an exchange of gunfire in the vicinity. At about 14:00hrs on 3 September the SMM in Donetsk heard, three or four times, the sound of shelling coming from the western part of town, from the direction of the airport.

The situation in Mariupol and the surrounding area is tense. The SMM met a senior security official in Mariupol who stated that the city’s defence was now under the control of the Ukrainian army and that a new battalion ‘Mariupol’ as well as a self-defence unit were being formed. All major factories are said to be participating in building reinforcement around the city. According to the interlocutor, the city of Volnovaha (61km north of Mariupol) was retaken by units of the Ukrainian National Guard on 3 September. Demonstrations in support of unity were announced for 4 September in all cities and villages along the coastline including Mariupol, Berdiansk, and Melitopol.

In Mangush (20km west of Mariupol) the monitoring team met with the police who described the situation as calm. The SMM also met the Head of Mangush District Administration who informed that there were 18,000 IDPs in Pershotravnevny District, mostly accommodated in vacation resorts. In Yalta (30km south-west of Mariupol) the SMM met local administration representatives who confirmed that there were around 6,000 IDPs in the area.

In Mariupol the SMM met the deputy head of the Donetsk region border guards who informed that two coastal patrol boats had been hit by Khrisantema anti-tank missile systems resulting in nine injuries. Search is underway for two marines.

The SMM monitored the situation of cash availability and food supply in Mariupol city. The SMM observed crowds at OTP, VTB and Pumb banks where cash withdrawal from ATMs was reportedly limited. Over the past few days the SMM observed decreased food supply, in particular in the ATB national grocery chain where entire aisles were found empty and one ATB store visited by the SMM closed for an indefinite period of time due to supply chain difficulties. Food supply in other stores visited by the SMM was observed as satisfactory.

In Dnipropetrovsk the SMM monitored the press conference of the Mechnikov regional hospital where it was announced that there have been 1,785 patients brought to eight health care facilities in the Dnipropetrovsk area, from the combat zone, since the start of the conflict, and the hospital itself has received 465 wounded patients.

SMM Kherson visited the provisional dam of the Northern Crimean Canal and met military officials in charge of guarding the installation who described the situation as calm, but with frequent spotting of UAVs at night. The SMM also met a senior Ukrainian army representative deployed in the Stavky region who also reported spotting UAVs on several occasions. The SMM also visited administrative boundary line crossing-points Kalanchak and Chaplynka where the situation was observed as calm.

The SMM monitored a rally in Kulykove Pole commemorating the 2 May events in Odessa, which was attended by some 300 people, mostly men, and monitored by 120 police. A flash-mob re-enacted the 2 May events and the demonstrators chanted anti-war and anti-fascist slogans, expressed solidarity with Donbas and stressed that ‘Odessa is a Russian city’. The demonstrators agreed upon a new demonstration for 8 September against the participation of NATO ships in exercise “Sea Breeze 2014”.

In Chernivtsi the SMM observed a decrease in intensity of the pickets against mobilisation and rotation in the Ukrainian army. Although the number of tents remained constant, altogether eight protestors were spotted by the SMM at the entrance of the military barracks.

The SMM was visited by representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Russian Patriarchate in Vyzhnitsa district who informed that in Miliyive and Kybaky villages “radical national elements” had established a list of pro-Russia and pro-Ukraine local residents which they intend to use for the seizure of church property in these two villages. The church building in Kybaky was reportedly occupied by some 100 persons during the night of 2 September, who allegedly forced the servicemen of the church to hand over the keys. The Church Council set up a meeting for 4 September in Miliyive to prevent a similar situation there.

In Ivano-Frankivsk the situation remained calm.

The SMM met the Democratic Alliance in Lviv and confirmed that the party had issued a public call for specialised military volunteers to provide technical support to the ATO. The party proposed to the Lviv Armour and Repair Plant that they form volunteer brigades to accelerate maintenance, repair and shipping of military equipment from Lviv to the ATO area.

In Kyiv the SMM monitored a protest in front of the Parliament by the NGO association Reanimation Package of Reforms and NGO Chesno calling for transparency of political parties and elections and the lustration of government officials. The protest was attended by some 15-20 activists and 10-20 observers. Police were not present.

The SMM monitored the press conference of Kyiv City Administration where it was announced that the city was facing difficulties responding to the new challenges posed by the financial support to the ATO and the 25,000 IDPs (data provided by the Ukrainian Ministry for Emergencies) and this will call for new budget generation measures.

http://www.osce.org/ukraine-smm/123209