The Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) of the OSCE noted the presence of about 15 armed members of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and several armored vehicles in the village Kominternove, Volnovakha district, Donetsk region, on Monday, Jan. 4.
“The SMM monitored the security situation in Kominternove (23km north-east of Mariupol). The SMM observed that the explosive devices which had been placed at the south-western entrance to the village – near a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint – had been removed and therefore it could approach the village from the west. In Kominternove, the SMM observed a calm situation, and noted the presence of approximately 15 armed “DPR” members and several armed vehicles (BMP-2 and BTR),” the OSCE SMM said in a report as of Jan. 4, which was posted on Jan. 5.
Meanwhile, the SMM could not reach the village from the east, as armed “DPR” members denied the SMM access to the village at a checkpoint near “DPR”-controlled Zaichenko (26km north-east of Mariupol).
The SMM also visited Vodiane (19km north-west of Mariupol, 4km south-east of Kominternove) where it did not see any armed persons or any civilians.
“The SMM noted one Ukrainian national flag hung on a small residential house,” the report reads.
Whilst in the areas around Kominternove, the SMM did not record any ceasefire violations.
