Ukraine says Russian forces cross border

in tanks, armored vehicles

By Annie Gowen and Karoun Demirjian August ! at "#$! %&
KIEV Ukraine charged that Russian forces
crossed into eastern Ukraine early Monday with tanks and other military vehicles, as
Russia vowed to send in a second humanitarian aid convoy to deliver emergency
supplies to areas held y pro!Moscow separatists later this week"
Ukrainian military spokesman #ndriy $ysenko said Russian military vehicles with the
insignia of the separatists% self!proclaimed &onetsk 'eople%s Repulic (violated the
state order of Ukraine) near *ovoa+ovsk in the southern part of &onetsk region"
It was the latest accusation from Kiev that Russia has een directly supplying weapons,
personnel and other assistance to the separatists fighting government troops in eastern
Ukraine"
International monitors who have een critical of Russia%s actions did not race to ack
up Ukraine%s accusations Monday"
In Moscow, ,oreign Minister -ergei $avrov said he had not heard of the incident, ut
he dismissed the Ukrainian claim that Russian tanks had opened a new front in
Ukraine, along with earlier accusations that he re.ected as (misinformation")
/hile Ukraine marked its Independence &ay with a military parade in Kiev,
separatists countered y parading captured Ukrainian troops through the streets of
their main stronghold, &onetsk" 0Reuters1
$ysenko said at least 23 tanks, two armored vehicles and two trucks from russia
crossed into Ukrainian territory at 4563 a"m" Monday, potentially ound for the key
port city of Mariupol on the -ea of #+ov" 7he highway leading to Mariupol is currently
under control of the Ukrainian military, he said"
7he Russian military vehicles flying reel flags moved toward the village of -hcherak,
where they engaged in attle with soldiers of a Ukrainian order unit, $ysenko said in
a riefing Monday" 8e said the Ukrainian forces then called for reinforcements and
managed to stop the advance of the convoy .ust outside the villages of -hcherak and
Markyne" 7he villages are north of the larger town of *ovoa+ovsk, aout five miles
from the Russian order"
$eonid Matyukhin, a Ukrainian security spokesman, said that after the encounter
outside the villages, Ukrainian troops fell ack to regroup and the Russian tanks
remain in the area"
9n -aturday, Russian forces fired artillery across the order and later used rocket
launchers to destroy the Ukrainian checkpoint there, $ysenko said"
# villager who lives near the Russian order where the alleged incursion occurred said
his entire community was awakened y the thunderous sound of engines from the
order around 4 a"m" -everal residents went to the edge the village as four tanks and
one armored personnel carrier approached, he said in a telephone interview"
7he soldiers, who were wearing camouflage, got out to greet them and identified
themselves in Russian as separatists, said the farmer, who gave his name only as
Mykolai out of fear for his safety"
7he soldiers were polite, asking for water and to orrow local cellphones to make
telephone calls, Mykolai recalled"
,or me, eing a local, it%s clear they came from Russian territory,) he said" (/e were
surprised to see them" 7hey said, :&on%t e afraid" /e won%t harm you"% )
# short while later, the soldiers went on their way, he said, and the villagers then heard
a pitched attle a short distance away" 7he soldiers and tanks had engaged in a
firefight with Ukrainian forces, resulting in damaged e;uipment ut no reported
casualties"
#s of late Monday, the tanks had not departed the area, Mykolai said" 7he villagers
could still hear them, idling in the neary fields"
-emyon -emenchenko, the commander of a pro!government volunteer attalion in the
&onetsk region, called the situation a (small local invasion) in an interview with a
Ukrainian television station" 8e advised residents not to panic"
-emenchenko suggested that the Russians may e trying to (put the pressure on our
president) the day efore Ukrainian 'resident 'etro 'oroshenko is e<pected to
meet with Russian 'resident Vladimir 'utin as part of a summit in Minsk, =elarus,
with leaders of the European >ustoms Union, the European Union and Ukraine" 9ther
participants include =elarus and Ka+akhstan, Russia%s partners in the newly formed
Eurasian Economic Union"
$avrov said he hoped the meeting could help resolve the Ukrainian conflict and that
Russia was open to (any format) toward that end as long as it moved away from open
military conflict"
'utin and 'oroshenko could hold a private ilateral meeting on the sidelines of the
regional summit, according to Russian officials"
Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of manipulating and even driving the separatist
uprising in the east" 7o make their cases, officials have pointed to a uildup of troops
along the order, alleged cross!order incursions and shelling and the precedent of
Russia%s anne<ation of the Ukrainian autonomous region of >rimea in March" In #pril,
'utinacknowledged that Russian troops had played a role in taking over >rimea" 7he
admission came after repeated denials since >rimea .oined Russia in a transfer of
sovereignty that Ukraine and its allies still do not recogni+e"
7he latest Ukrainian charges come .ust days after Russia sent a convoy of trucks,
ostensily earing supplies for civilians in the war!torn region of $uhansk, into eastern
Ukraine without the Kiev government%s permission"
$avrov told reporters Monday that Russia informed Ukraine -unday night in an
official diplomatic note that it intended to send another humanitarian aid convoy to
Ukraine, using the same route employed y trucks that entered $uhansk without the
Ukrainian government%s permission last week"
/e are convinced that it needs to e done this week,) $avrov told reporters in
Moscow, adding that he hoped the second convoy would go (more smoothly")
Russia sparked an international acklash last week when it decided to sendmore than
633 trucks carrying what it said was humanitarian aid across the order to areas held
y pro!Russian separatists" Russian officials said they ran out of patience with
Ukrainian (e<cuses) and (delays) surrounding the delivery" U"-" and *#79 officials
;uestioned whether the shipments were really meant to resupply eleaguered reels,
who have een losing ground to Ukrainian forces lately"
7he trucks had idled for more than a week on Russian territory as Ukrainian officials
and representatives of the International >ommittee of the Red >ross, which was tasked
with supervising such shipments, determined whether they were ready to let the trucks
in" Eventually, Russia elected to send the convoy through a order crossing controlled
y pro!Russian separatists without a go!ahead from Ukraine, and without waiting for
the I>R> to confirm that it had enough security guarantees to egin its work"
=ut on Monday, $avrov indicated that Russia was willing to return to the original
terms of its agreement with Ukraine to deliver the ne<t shipment under the I>R>%s
authority"
/e are hoping that the misunderstanding that took place during the clearance of the
first convoy will e taken into account and there will e no such artificial delays
anymore,) $avrov said" 8e added that he hoped that Russia and Ukrainian order and
customs officers could come to an agreement on the terms of the delivery"
Ukrainian and I>R> officials did not immediately respond to $avrov%s announcement"
7he Russian foreign minister said the I>R> was already preparing to distriute the
goods from the first Russian aid shipment in $uhansk starting Monday" #lthough the
I>R> cited security concerns as the reason its representatives could not accompany the
convoy on ,riday, the organi+ation has a team on the ground in $uhansk assessing the
situation"
$avrov demurred when asked whether Russia would proceed with the second convoy
as it had efore !! without Ukraine%s permission or an I>R> escort !! if they did not
agree to work on Russia%s timeline"
7he white!painted trucks from the Russian aid convoy arrived ,riday in the reel!held
city, where workers unloaded food, water and other emergency supplies" 7he trucks
then left on their return trip y the route ut not without raising a host of ;uestions
in their wake"
*#79 -ecretary ?eneral #nders ,ogh Rasmussen suggested that the trucks had also
smuggled in military supplies to replenish the pro!Russian fighters" # Ukrainian
military spokesman also charged that Russia intended to use the empty trucks to
secretly ring ack sophisticated defense technology produced in Ukraine ut long
used y the Russian military"
Many /estern leaders accused Russia of violating international law y entering
Ukraine without government permission"
Russia has denied those accusations, arguing that it acted in accordance with
international humanitarian law in trying to help civilians who were left without water
and electricity in a conflict +one"
9n Monday, pro!Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine%s other war!torn region,
&onetsk, told Russia%s Interfa< news agency that they hoped the second aid convoy
would also ring a shipment in their direction"
&emir.ian reported from Moscow"
Annie Gowen is 'he %ost(s )ndia bureau chief and has re*orted
for the %ost throughout +outh Asia and the &iddle ,ast-
'osted y 7havam