KIEV, Ukraine – Ukraine‘s interior minister says that three tanks have crossed into Ukrainian territory from Russia and were attacked by his country’s forces.
The Interfax news agency quoted Arsen Avakov as saying that a “column” with armoured vehicles crossed from Russia through border control points controlled by pro-Russian separatists near the Dyakove village in eastern Ukraine.
He said vehicles including automobiles and armoured personnel carriers crossed the border. He said that three tanks went to the town of Snizhne about 40 kilometres from Dyakove. One remained there while two others left in the direction of the town of Horlivka and were engaged by the Ukrainian military.
READ MORE: Ukraine orders civilian corridor in east
Avakov said that “part of this column has been destroyed” by Ukrainian forces.
Russia has denied sending troops or equipment into Ukraine and no independent confirmation was immediately available.
Avakov said the incursion took place despite Russian statements of interest in a peaceful solution and intent to increase border controls.
The reports followed statements earlier Thursday by Russia’s foreign minister that the pro-Moscow separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine are ready for a cease-fire but that Kyiv has to initiate the process.
Sergey Lavrov also was 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 authorization to send in peacekeeping troops. The Ukrainian rebels have suggested that Russia should send peacekeepers, but Moscow says that could only be done with UN authorization.
Ukraine’s government and Western countries allege that Russia is fomenting or supporting the uprising in the east, where insurgents have declared two regions independent and are seeking annexation by Russia. Moscow denies it has agents in eastern Ukraine, but it is unclear to what extent it has contacts or influence with the rebels.
Lavrov said that “We know that the rebels in the southeast are ready to hold fire, but the first step by all rights should be made by the Kyiv authorities.”
READ MORE: Fighting resumes in east Ukraine
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 developed by the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The OSCE’s secretary-general on Thursday visited a camp in Russia for refugees from the conflict in Ukraine’s east and called for the fighting to end.
According to the Interfax news agency, Lamberto Zannier said Thursday that the conflict in the east “is craziness which must be stopped.”
Russia says some 30,000 people have fled the fighting.
Ukraine’s new president, Petro Poroshenko, this week called for establishing safe-passage corridors for civilians who want to escape the violence in the east, but no visible steps toward creating them have been seen.
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