OSCE SMM evacuates base from Svitlodarsk for two days due to shelling (UPDATED)

The Special Monitoring Mission of the OSCE had to evacuate their patrol base in Svitlodarsk, Donetsk region, due to artillery attacks nearby, the mission said in its report for Dec. 22-26 published on Dec. 27.

“The SMM evacuated its forward patrol base in Svitlodarsk on December 24 due to the proximity of artillery round impacts, on one occasion as close as 70m to the base on December 23, which broke windows on the upper floors of the building,” the report reads.

The SMM returned to its forward patrol base in Svitlodarsk on December 26.

The SMM recorded fewer but still a high number of ceasefire violations in the Donetsk region on Dec. 22-23, including about 1,150 explosions, compared with about 2,300 in the previous reporting period. The majority of the explosions were recorded in the Svitlodarsk-Debaltseve area.

Besides, the mission patrol which is deployed in Horlivka on the militant-controlled territory registered on Dec. 24 rounds from BM-21 Grad.