You're reading: OSCE says number of shelling incidents in Donbas grows by quarter over past week, artillery used with increased frequency (UPDATE)

The number of ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine has grown by a quarter over the past week, especially in the Donetsk sector, OSCE Special Monitoring Mission Principal Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug said.

“The number of ceasefire violations recorded by the SMM did in fact rise by some 25 percent compared to the previous week,” Hug said at a press briefing in Kyiv on July 29.

“The escalation was noted in all the usual hotspots. But it was very noticeable on the western and north-western outskirts of Horlivka and in the Avdiyivka-Yasynuvata-Donetsk airport area,” he said.

He also mentioned that artillery systems had been used with increased frequency.

“A further indication of deterioration was the increased use of artillery. Almost double that which we saw the previous week. Significantly, 90 percent of recorded artillery explosions occurred around Horlivka,” he said.

He also reported attacks on OSCE SMM drones during the past week.

“On Monday, on two separate occasions, the mission noted small-arms fire targeting an SMM mini unmanned aerial vehicle. It happened first near so-called “LPR”-controlled Kalynove and later near so-called “LPR”-controlled Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov). Fortunately, that UAV managed to land safely on both occasions,” he said.

Further, he reported about a less successful incident with a long-range unmanned aerial vehicle.

“Later that day – just before midnight – while flying over government-controlled Avdiyivka, approximately 600m from the contact line, the SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle crashed,” he said.

In his words, reasons have yet to be established.

He also reported that OSCE SMM monitors still face restricted access to some areas in occupied Donbas.

“On the ground in Avdiyivka and in neighboring so-called ‘DPR’-controlled Yasynuvata, our freedom of movement has also been restricted. In one instance, the so-called “DPR” stopped us from monitoring repair work. The repairs are necessary for the working of the water filtration plant in the area. The Joint Centre for Control and Coordination did not facilitate the provision of security assurances,” he said.

Answering questions from journalists, he said that OSCE SMM monitors do not stop work at night.

“I demonstrate many pictures taken at night. Our monitors work at night with the use of devices, cameras installed on UAVs, cameras installed near Shyrokyne. We’ve got observation posts at 14 sites along the contact line, which also work at night,” he added.