SPOT REPORT

OSCE SMM Spot Report 29/2020: Small-arms fire damages SMM camera system near Petrivske disengagement area

On 3 June, an SMM patrol was tasked with maintenance of the SMM camera system located about 200m east of the north-eastern corner of the disengagement area near Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk) after the Mission had lost video feeds from the camera system at about 14:30 on 2 June. The system consists of a daylight and a thermal camera and is generally directed south-west towards the disengagement area. The patrol saw that both boxes housing the cameras had sustained damage, assessed as caused by small-arms fire.

The Mission observed at least two holes assessed as exit bullet holes in the east-facing back panel of the box housing the thermal camera. It also observed that the east-facing back panel of the box housing the daytime camera was lying on the ground, about 2m north-east of the camera mast, with one hole assessed as a bullet hole, and one corner missing due to another bullet impact. The Mission saw several shards of glass, assessed as pieces of camera lenses, on the ground about 1.5m north-west of the camera mast. The SMM assessed that all bullets had been fired from a west-north-westerly direction.

Footage from a security camera also installed at the site revealed the sounds of four shots recorded between 14:27 and 14:29. It also revealed that at the moment of the first shot being heard, the camera faced south-west; and that, when the next three shots were being heard, it faced west-north-west. Immediately after the last shot was heard, the SMM lost video feeds from both the thermal and the daylight camera.

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