A senior Ukrainian official has said two columns of Russian tanks and military vehicles have fired at a border post, before entering the southeast of the country.
The comments by Col. Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's National Security Council, follow Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's assertion that Russian forces had "entered" the country.
It is reported the tanks entered an area of the eastern Donetsk region which was seized by the separatists for the first time earlier this week.
They now control the southeastern town of Novoazovsk and have threatened to take the strategic port city of Mariupol, marking a new front in the conflict which has claimed more than 2,100 lives since April.
According to the Interfax news agency, Mr Poroshenko said Russian troops had come "to the rescue" of pro-Moscow separatists battling Ukrainian forces.
A Nato official, meanwhile, said at least 1,000 Russian troops had entered Ukraine with sophisticated equipment and had been in "direct contact" with Ukrainian forces resulting in casualties.
The reports support claims from the West and Kiev that Russia is operating in the east of the country, although Moscow denies arming the rebels and sending troops across the border.
A Ukrainian serviceman exchanges fire with rebels It has also declined to comment on reports of Russian tanks in Novoazovsk.
"The Russian authorities clearly said many times there are no regular Russian troops there. Russia is not taking part in this armed conflict," said a Russian diplomatic source.
In a statement, Prime Minister David Cameron said he is "extremely concerned by mounting evidence that Russian troops have made large-scale incursions into southeastern Ukraine, completely disregarding the sovereignty of a neighbour.
A strategic high point east of Donetsk taken by separatist rebels "The international community has already warned Russia that such provocative actions would be completely unacceptable and illegal."
The UN Security council is to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis later today.
UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant told reporters that "Russia will be asked to explain why Russia has its troops inside Ukraine. It's very clear that Russian regular troops are now in Ukraine."
Mr Poroshenko has cancelled a working trip to Turkey and called an emergency meeting of Ukraine's security and defence council.
Earlier the defence council said Ukrainian government forces had withdrawn from Novoazovsk "to save their lives" and were now reinforcing troops in the port city of Mariupol.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of having "deliberately unleashed a war in Europe" and called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting.
Russian paratroopers captured in Ukraine on Monday He also appealed to the United States, European Union and G7 countries "to freeze Russian assets and finances until Russia withdraws armed forces, equipment and agents".
On Wednesday a top rebel leader, Alexander Zakharchenko, admitted Russian troops were fighting alongside his insurgents, but said they were on "holiday" after volunteering to join the battle.
Zakharchenko, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, told Reuters there were about 3,000 Russian volunteers serving in the rebel ranks.
The spiralling tensions come two days after Mr Poroshenko and Mr Putin held their first talks in three months and agreed to work towards launching a peace process.
Mr Putin and Mr Poroshenko at the talks in Minsk on Tuesday The day before Ukraine captured 10 Russian paratroopers around Amvrosiivka, a town about 12 miles (20km) from the border with Russia.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has demanded an explanation from Mr Putin about the activities of Russian troops in Ukraine, while French President Francois Hollande has said it would be "intolerable and unacceptable" if they were involved in any fighting.
The Russian stock market dived on Thursday amid fears grew the country was escalating its role in the five-month conflict, with the MICEX index dropping nearly two percent.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Ukraine: Russian Tanks 'Enter' The Country
Dengan url
http://junesstatical.blogspot.com/2014/08/ukraine-russian-tanks-enter-country.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Ukraine: Russian Tanks 'Enter' The Country
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Ukraine: Russian Tanks 'Enter' The Country
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar