Ukrainian language

Poroshenko: Situation in conflict zone changed radically

KIEV -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has accused Russia of launching a "direct and open aggression against Ukraine."

He asserted that this changed the balance of power in the conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian activists.

Ukrainian troops on Sept. 1 were battling a Russian tank contingent in the eastern city of Lugansk, Kiev said, accusing Moscow's army units of moving into large cities in the region.

Russia accused of "direct involvement" in conflict

KIEV -- U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt claims that Russia is "directly involved" in the fighting between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian government forces.

A large number of Russian soldiers are directly involved in the fighting in the Ukrainian territory, he posted on Twitter.

Washington and Kyiv said Thursday that Russian troops were actively involved in the fighting tearing apart eastern Ukraine, raising fears of a direct military confrontation on Europe's eastern flank.
      

The United States accused Russia Aug. 28 of being directly involved in the Ukraine conflict after pro-Kremlin rebels seized swathes of territory from government forces in a new southeastern front.
      
"An increasing number of Russian troops are intervening directly in fighting on Ukrainian territory," the US ambassador to Kyiv Geoffrey Pyatt wrote on Twitter.
      

Russian soldiers crossed border "by mistake"

MOSCOW -- Russian soldiers captured in Ukraine crossed the border by mistake, said a source in the Russian Ministry of Defense, Reuters and RIA Novosti are reporting.

Kyiv on Aug. 25 said its forces were clashing with an armoured column that crossed the border from Russia as Moscow ramped up tensions ahead of crunch talks by pledging to send in a new aid convoy.
      

Kiev sees Russian invasion - "won't use force to stop it"

Some 100 trucks carrying Russian aid meant for southeastern Ukraine by Friday afternoon crossed the customs, said a spokesman for the Russian customs.

The head of the Ukrainian Security Service at the same time described this as "a direct Russian invasion."

A convoy of lorries from Russia are entering Ukrainian territory, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow has announced.

The vehicles have not been granted Kiev's permission to cross the border.

In its statement [RU], the ministry says that the convoy is heading to Luhansk and warns Ukraine against any actions it could take to stop the trucks.

"Ukraine deserves Western military support"

KIEV -- Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin says his country deserves military support from the West to combat militias of self-proclaimed people's republics.