This report is for media and the general public.

The SMM continued to observe the situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in light of the Minsk agreement on non-use of weapons. IDPs continue to leave the east of the country.

The situation in Kharkiv remained calm.

The SMM visited Luhansk city and assessed that the situation had improved slightly. People and cars appeared to move more freely, and limited commercial activities were noted. However, the SMM observed citizens still waiting in long queues to receive water, food and medicine. Mains water and electricity are still unavailable in the city.

The SMM met in Svatovo (150 km to the northwest of Luhansk) with the deputy head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration in charge of finance and economy, who stated that more funds are urgently needed from the central government, because the current regional budget is only about 7 billion UAH (around 400 million EUR), as opposed to a normal level of about 20 billion UAH (around 1.2 billion EUR). The interlocutor stated that currently the Ukrainian Government controls thirteen territories where financial institutions are working normally. However, he stated that in areas currently controlled by the “Luhansk People’s Republic”, people have not received wages and pensions for more than three months.

The SMM in Donetsk on 8 September, between 20:21 and 21:14 hrs recorded the sound of eight to ten instances of outgoing shelling which appeared to have originated both from the west and the north of the city centre. At 01:35hrs the SMM heard sounds consistent with the detonation of heavy mortar rounds which appeared to have originated from the airport area. The shelling continued for nearly two minutes with short intervals.

On 9 September in Kievski district, to the north of Donetsk city centre, local residents told the SMM that the area had been shelled since Friday night, and persistently in the following days, by an unspecified number of howitzer artillery pieces and “Grad” missiles. According to local inhabitants, five men have died as a result of the impacts and many others were injured. The SMM could not independently verify this information.

On 9 September, at 11:50hrs, the SMM visited the northern outskirts of Donetsk city and entered a nine storey apartment building, located less than one km away from the airport, from where it observed the airport area and its surroundings. At 12:34 hrs, mortar shelling was heard, but the SMM could not ascertain its origin. The SMM saw two impacts caused by shelling, and resultant smoke, one in the airport area and the second one 200-250m from the building where the SMM stood. The SMM could not ascertain from where the shelling had originated. The SMM in total observed up to 15 instances of shelling at the airport area, which according to the SMM’s assessment were also very close to the airport. The SMM could not ascertain their origin.

The SMM visited the village of Spartak (17 km to the north of Donetsk) where it observed the aftermath of what appeared to be a mortar attack that directly hit a small family house, located in the village’s centre. The house was badly damaged. The SMM was told by “Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”) representatives, present at the scene, that the shelling had taken place on the night of 8 to 9 September. The SMM could not independently verify this information.

In Mariupol city the SMM observed that the bus and train stations were working normally. The SMM spoke to a bus driver, who stated that to reach Donetsk city it is no longer necessary to make a long detour, as was the case last week, but it is now possible to travel directly via the highway.

The SMM met with the governor of Donetsk Region in Mariupol, Mr Serhiy Taruta, who said that on Thursday and Friday last week the rebels made two attempts to take over the city in order to try to gain a stronger negotiating position. He said that Russian regular forces are the driving force in the south-eastern region, and that, on 9 September, Russian military hardware was moved across the border to Bezimenne (33 km to the east of Mariupol), where he said they are concentrating their forces. According to the governor, control of the strategic cities of Mariupol and Debaltsevo, and of Donetsk and Luhansk airports, is the main aim of the “DPR” forces, as this would give them stronger leverage for negotiations.

Two residents of thevillage Shyrokyne (15km to the east of Mariupol city),in separate conversations with SMM by phone, said that on 8 September irregular armed groups, affiliated to “DPR”, had entered the village.

The SMM was informed by representatives of the IDP Co-ordination Centre in Dnipropetrovsk city that during recent days they had seen an increase in the number of IDPs registering officially. The interlocutors stated that those IDPs who have been in the city for some time without registering are now doing so, in order to enrol their children in school or receive other types of assistance. According to the Centre’s estimate, only 10 to15 per cent of the recently-registered IDPs are new, whilst the majority of them have been in the city for some time.

The situation in Kherson remained calm.

In Odessa the SMM visited the Emergency Services Coordination Centre for IDPs, located at the city’s railway station. The representative of the Department of Social Protection, in charge of registration procedures, stated that IDPs are continuously arriving, mainly from the Luhansk region but more recently from Mariupol, too. According to the interlocutor, a significant movement of IDPs from Mariupol started approximately two weeks ago.

In Chernivtsi the SMM met the director of economic development and the head of international co-operation and investments of the Chernivtsi region, both newly appointed to their positions. Regarding mobilization, the interlocutors stated that for businessmen, credits are frozen during their period of service, as they neither have to pay back the loan nor have to pay interest, and that employers have to give employees a job guarantee for one year.

The SMM in Ivano-Frankivsk met with the head of “Right Sector” in Pricarpathia. He stated that the organization is creating battalions in every region. Concerning the ceasefire, the interlocutor stated that “Right Sector” supports the president’s decision; however, should the shelling continue, their position may change. The interlocutor described Ukraine as a buffer for Europe, and said that Europe should understand how dangerous it would be if this buffer is lost.

In Lviv and Kyiv the situation remained calm.

http://www.osce.org/ukraine-smm/123407