Russian-backed terrorists take village on Donbas frontlines

Russian-backed terrorists occupied on Dec. 22 the Donetsk region village of Kominternove, located 24 km northeast of the strategic port city of Mariupol. They arrived in tanks and vehicles and reviewed the documents of its residents. Until then, the village was neutral territory near the separation line. The maneuver could have been a provocation to disrupt peace talks in Minsk occurring that day, reported Vlad Voloshyn, the deputy director of the press center of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Russian-backed separatists denied any occupation of Kominternove and insisted they were fulfilling the Minsk peace accords, as reported by Interfax.

The terrorists also attempted to occupy territory beyond the village, reported on Dec. 22 the press center of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO). “Based on the latest information, the bandits didn’t allow OSCE representatives to work in the district of Kominternovo, and they shot at ATO positions in this portion of the separation line using 82-mm mortars,” the statement said. “Besides that, during the day an enemy saboteur-reconnaissance group tried to penetrate territory controlled by the ATO from Kominternovo. Our fighters found them in time, a brief battle ensured and the fighters backed off.”

Zenon Zawada: A consistent pattern is evident in the terrorist actions in Donbas being coordinated by the Kremlin to influence peace talks or other Russian diplomatic efforts abroad. It will be very revealing to see what happens in this region in the coming weeks. More similar advances, in spite of the sanctions, will indicate Russian preparedness for significant escalation next year. That the U.S. sanctions came within hours of this territorial advance – the first since Debaltseve in April – is fortunate timing that could indicate similar consequences from the U.S. in the next several months.