OSCE SMM monitors narrowly escape machine fire near Zolote in Luhansk region

Monitors of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) in the morning of October 16, registered fire from automatic-grenade-launcher at government-controlled Zolote and Katerynivka (both Luhansk region), as well as machine gun fire near its observation post.

"In the morning of October 16, from several positions in both government-controlled Zolote (60km north-west of Luhansk) and government-controlled Katerynivka (64km west of Luhansk), an SMM patrol composed of five members observed a steady exchange of fire ranging 4-6km east of all positions. The SMM heard over 60 explosions assessed as caused by mortar (82mm and 120mm) rounds, and sporadic bursts of automatic-grenade-launcher (AGS-17, 30mm) and heavy-machine-gun fire for over one hour and a half," the SMM said in a report as of October 16 published on its website.

In addition, at 11:52, not far from the SMM's position within the perimeter of an observation post of Zolote, the patrol heard whistling of two heavy-machine-gun bullets, approximately two meters east of the patrol's position. The SMM heard the bullets impact, at least one on the concrete observation post structure. They took cover behind the wall and inside the observation post structure, and then left the spot.

The OSCE SMM said that patrol members were wearing clearly marked OSCE clothing (helmets and jackets with OSCE logos) and were accompanied by two Ukrainian Armed Forces officers at the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), who also took cover.

The SMM could not determine the direction of fire.