Deputy head of the General Staff's press center Vladyslav Voloshyn said, Ukrainska Pravda reports.
"The militants in several cars and armored vehicles drove into the territory of Kominternove this morning. They are currently there checking the documents of local residents. People are hiding in the basements," he said. "It seems that they are trying to provoke the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) forces in the day when Minsk hosts meeting of the Tripartite Contact Group," Voloshyn said.
In turn, speaker of the ATO HQ press center Anton Myronovych said on air of 112 Ukraine TV channel: "This morning, a company-size reinforced detachment of the illegal armed formations (allegedly up to 100 people) entered Kominternove, which is situated in the "gray" zone. According to our information, they have armored vehicles, presumably up to five tanks and five armored personnel carriers and other weapons, which are prohibited by the Minsk agreements."
"They want to push us to some retaliatory action in such a manner, possibly to the liberation of the village with the use of heavy weapons. However, the ATO forces remain on their positions," the speaker said.
Myronovych noted that the distance from Kominternove to Mariupol was sufficient to use 120-mm mortars and employ subversive reconnaissance groups against this city. "Thus, the vigilance is increased there now and the troops are placed on alert, we are watching, observing by now," he said.
