Gen. Palisa: Russia Ordered to Seize All of Donbas by December 31

Gen. Pavlo Palisa, deputy head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, declared on Saturday that the Kremlin has tasked its military command with reaching the administrative borders of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts by December 31 this year. The statement was reported by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. Ukraine assesses that Russia will intensify its offensive pressure along the eastern front.