Breaking news, December 20, 2017

A visit of the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura to Moscow is planned on December 21. «I’ll come on Thursday,» said de Mistura. Earlier, the delegation of Syria in Geneva accused de Mistura of exceeding authority.

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The AFU shelled the positions of the People’s Militia of the LPR seven times over the past day. Pervomaisk, Almaznaya, Kalinovo, Donetsk, Golubovskoye, Sanzharovka and Sokolniki were subjected to shelling by means of mortars of various caliber, arms of infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers and small arms.

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During the past day the AFU violated the ceasefire regime 41 times in the DPR. During the shelling, MLRS, artillery, mortars of various calibers, grenade launchers and small arms were used. The districts of 20 front-line settlements of the Republic fell under the fire of the AFU units. There are no victims or injured. Four houses were damaged In Dokuchaevsk as a result of night shelling. The oil refining state enterprise «Donetskavtogaz» was also bombarded and damaged.

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After the mass shelling of the DPR, the «ATO» headquarters press center made a statement about the threat of the attack of the DPR forces on the AFU. Eduard Bazurin answered «The AFU makes another attempt to shift public opinion for the justification of its permanent violations of peace agreements and the shelling of the Republic by means of heavy weapons with destruction and casualties. The killers of children and the elderly are afraid of responsibility for their atrocities and again use lies, «said Basurin. According to the DPR intelligence, arms sales are flourishing in the Armed Forces as well as massive and almost legalized use of alcohol and drugs.

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In Syria, near Beit Jinn, in the south-west of Damascus, the Syrian Arab Army operations continue to clear the surroundings from militants. The artillery preparation preceded the next phase of advancing along the heights to the east of Beit Jinn — the operations are conducted at the heights of Magar al-Mir and Tell Marvan. Earlier government forces managed to take control of the hills and establish fire control over adjacent territories.

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A trilateral conference of the heads of diplomatic departments of Turkey, Iran and Azerbaijan was held in Baku, which resulted in the signing of the Baku Declaration condemning the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The Turkish Foreign Ministry called the US decision on Jerusalem «unacceptable and unjust,» and also promised «to uphold the rights of the Palestinians.»