Ukraine accuses Russia of sending dozens of tanks

Ukraine has accused Russia of sending dozens of tanks and other heavy weapons into rebel-controlled eastern regions and said five servicemen were killed in clashes with the rebels.
Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council spokesman Andriy Lysenko said yesterday that at least 32 tanks, 16 artillery systems and 30 trucks loaded with fighters and ammunition had crossed into eastern Ukraine from Russia. He said three mobile radar units loaded on trucks also came over the border from Russia.
Lysenko provided no specific evidence and it wasn't immediately clear how his agency had obtained the information, since parts of Ukraine's eastern border with Russia have been under rebel control since August.

Ukraine and the West have continuously accused Moscow of fueling a pro-Russian rebellion in eastern Ukraine with troops and weapons. Russia denies those accusations.
Russia's Defense Ministry had no immediate comment on Lysenko's statement, but yesterday it rejected Western allegations that Moscow was deploying more troops near the border.
NATO had no immediate confirmation on the latest Ukrainian report.

"We are aware of the reports of Russian troops and tanks crossing the border between Ukraine and Russia and are looking into these reports," said a NATO military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to the media.

"If this crossing into Ukraine is confirmed, it would be further evidence of Russia's aggression and direct involvement in destabilizing Ukraine," the officer added.
He said the alliance had seen "a recent increase in Russian troops and equipment along the eastern border of Ukraine."
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the movement "if confirmed ... Would be another blatant violation of the Minsk agreement," referring to the Sept 5 pact between Russia, Ukraine and the separatists on a cease-fire and the pullback of heavy weaponry.
In Beijing, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met today on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference for what was expected to be a discussion about the unrest in eastern Ukraine.

Asked if Russia still respects the legitimacy of the cease-fire agreement, Lavrov said it is for the "rebels and the government" of Ukraine to finalize a disengagement line a process that he said is continuing.
Lavrov refused to comment when asked if Russia is sending tanks and troops into Ukraine.