OSCE confirms militants present in Kominternove

The OSCE monitors revisited Kominternove (23km north-east of Mariupol) to follow up on reports about the presence of armed “DPR” members in the village, according to the SMM report published on December 28.

“In Kominternove, the SMM did not observe any armed persons or weaponry, with the exception of the escorting armed “DPR” members, while the SMM saw multiple fresh caterpillar traces of tracked military vehicles on the main street,” reads the report.

“The escorting “DPR” members did not allow the SMM to go beyond the main street of the village, citing security reasons,” said the monitors.

At a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint at the south-western entrance of the village, the SMM spoke with three civilians coming from Kominternove, who stated that “DPR” members were still “in the village and were occupying some abandoned houses.”