This report is for media and the general public.

In the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, and in particular in the city of Donetsk and its surroundings, the situation remained tense. Displacement continued in the rest of the country.

In Kharkiv the SMM was informed by the city authorities that on 25 August two statues of Lenin were toppled in two small city parks. The city authorities had ordered repair works but a group of masked men prevented this. The interlocutor stated that reparation works have not resumed and that the police investigation thus far has not resulted in any arrests.

On 3 October the SMM met with the “Anti-terrorism Operation” (“ATO”) co-ordinator for the city of Severodonetsk (95km north-west of Luhansk), who stated that the last bust of Lenin displayed in the city of Severodonetsk was removed and destroyed the day before, and that he had been involved in the initiative.

The deputy head of Severodonetsk City Council told the SMM that there are currently 4,500 registered IDPs in the city, including 620 school children. He estimated that the actual number of IDPs could be twice that of the official figure. Most IDPs live in local apartments.

The SMM met with the mayor of Lysychansk (90km north-west of Luhansk) who said that some 8,000 people from other districts need to be re-registered in the city. Those who need to be re-registered are either IDPs currently living in Lysychansk, or citizens from areas where the district capitals are currently under control of the “Lugansk People’s Republic” (“LPR”). According to the interlocutor his major challenge will be providing administrative services to places cut off from district capitals. The interlocutor also expressed concern regarding the gas supply, as it is not clear whether there will be sufficient gas supplies during winter, or whether people will be able to pay for gas. According to the interlocutor, major enterprises that depend on gas for their operations have already stopped working.

Whilst in Shchastya (25km north of Luhansk) the SMM heard 4 to 5 small arms shots from an unknown direction.

In Donetsk city and its surroundings the overall security situation remained tense. The SMM heard shelling, though at a lower intensity than the previous day, concentrated in the northern part of the city. The SMM visited the site where an International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) staff member was killed the day before as a result of shelling (See Spot Report 2 October). Whilst visiting the area, the SMM heard an explosion consistent with an unspecified incoming shelling about 200m from its position. It was a single explosion, presumably from a large calibre mortar. Due to security concerns, the SMM left the area.

In Debal’tsevo (75km north-east of Donetsk) the SMM heard sounds consistent with multiple outgoing shelling, which appeared to be concentrated in a north-easterly direction from its position.

The SMM in Mariupol (115km south of Donetsk) met with two representatives of “Youth Union”, a NGO staffed with volunteers. Since 21 August 2014, with funding from the “Rinat Akhmetov Foundation”, the NGO is operating a large logistical centre at the Azovskiy market, from which, according to the interlocutor, some 60 to 80 tons of humanitarian assistance are distributed daily to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

In Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson the situation remained calm.

On 2 October the SMM attended the five-month memorial for the May 2nd victims, held at Kulikovo Pole in Odessa. Some 300 people, both men and women, ranging from the young to the elderly, gathered in the front of the Trade Union building. Around 200 Police officers, both regular police and riot police, were visible at the scene. The group unfolded a large poster with portraits of identified May 2nd victims. The event ended peacefully, and as the SMM left the scene, it did not observe any indication of tension.

In Chernivtsi the situation remained calm.

On 2 October the SMM in Kosiv (90km south of Ivano-Frankivsk) met with personnel of the District Administration responsible for IDPs, who stated that there is no collective centre in the district; most IDPs are housed in private accommodation, some of them with relatives. The host families so far have not been entitled to payment from the authorities, since there is no allocated funding in the budget. Before moving in, IDPs sign a “three-party contract” with the local administration and the host family. The interlocutors informed that the number of IDPs decreased from 105 to 58 in September, because of rumours among IDPs that so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”) and “LPR” warned they will sell all abandoned apartments for 100 USD each.

On 3 October the SMM in Lviv met with the deputy head of the Regional Department for Social Protection who informed that currently 7,446 IDPs are registered in the Lviv region. The interlocutor also stated that in the period between 26 September to 2 October, 268 new IDPs arrived to Lviv, out of which 29 came from Crimea and 239 from Eastern Ukraine (177 from the Donetsk region and 62 from the Luhansk region). The interlocutor also stated that few IDPs have returned to their places of origin thus far, and that there were no mass returns of IDPs to date.

In Kyiv the situation remained calm.