Russia accused of sending tanks to Ukraine

Kiev says Moscow allowed three tanks and other military vehicles to cross the border into the rebel-held eastern region.

Ukraine has accused Russia of allowing three tanks and other military
vehicles to cross the border into east Ukraine to help pro-Russian
separatists there.

Russia did not immediately respond to the accusations on Thursday,
but the Reuters news agency reported that three of its correspondents
had seen the tanks in the border town of Snizhnye.

"We have observed columns passing with armoured personnel carriers,
other armoured vehicles and artillery pieces, and tanks which, according
to our information, came across the border and this morning were in
Snizhnye," Arseny Avakov, Ukraine's interior minister, told reporters in
Kiev.

He said Ukrainian forces had destroyed part of the column and fighting was still under way, but gave no further details.

Russia has denied aiding the separatists, who have taken control of
several towns and cities in mainly Russian-speaking east Ukraine, with
Russian President Vladimir Putin promising to tighten controls at the
border.

'Ready for truce'

Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said on Thursday that the
pro-Moscow separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine are ready for a
ceasefire, but that Kiev has to initiate the process.

Lavrov was also quoted by Russian news agencies as saying Moscow will
introduce a resolution in the United Nations on the Ukrainian crisis,
but that Russia was not seeking authorisation to send in peacekeeping
troops.

He said the proposed UN resolution would concentrate on demanding
fulfilment of proposals set forth in a so-called "road map" for
resolving the conflict.

The road map was drawn up by the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe in May to give impetus to a deal reached in Geneva
by the European Union, Russia, Ukraine and the United States to try to
end the crisis in Ukraine.



Russia accused of sending tanks to Ukraine - Europe - Al Jazeera English