After reportedly rejecting Vladimir Putin's peace proposal [7] and continuing heavy shelling in the pro-Russian-held regions of Donetsk, Ukraine's military spokesman Lysenko is reporting the Russian army is directly attacking Ukraine forces in the north conflict zone. The fight over what is now a destroyed Donetsk airport [8] continues with Lysenko claiming to have stalled Russian forces adding that three Russian battallions are approaching the Ukraine border. CNN reports that the Russian Defense Ministry says, "Ukraine's allegations that Russian troops are in Ukraine are complete rubbish."
Reuters and Bloomberg report...
- THREE MORE RUSSIAN BATTALLIONS APPROACH UKRAINE BORDER: LYSENKO
- UKRAINE SAYS FIERCE CLASHES FOR DONETSK AIRPORT: LYSENKO
- RUSSIAN ARMY ATTACKING UKRAINE FORCES: LYSENKO
- UKRAINE FORCES ATTACKED IN NORTH CONFLICT ZONE: LYSENKO
- HEAVY FIGHTING STILL GOING ON BUT UKRAINIANS HAVE HALTED ADVANCE OF RUSSIAN FORCES - MILITARY SPOKESMAN LYSENKO
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Reportedly Russian tanks at the Ukraine border..
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Russian invader to Russian TV:
"Ukr troops were >sent to slaughter<, attacking the terminal. They had no chance." pic.twitter.com/hzTBkBNquH [9]
— Conflict Reporter (@Conflict_Report) January 20, 2015 [10]
Via @MarQs__ [11]
RT “@tuumapomm [12]: Ukrainian soldiers captured at ”recaptured“ #Donetsk [13] airport. #Ukraine [14] pic.twitter.com/KzXVDDxU22 [15]”
— Novorossiya Lives (@Novorossiyan) January 20, 2015 [16]
As Reuters reports,
Ukrainian army units came under attack from Russian regular forces in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday and heavy fighting was taking place, a Ukrainian military spokesman said.
"In spite of preliminary agreements, Ukrainian military units were attacked in the north of the anti-terrorist operational zone by regular military formations of the armed forces of Russia," the spokesman, Andriy Lysenko, said.
"Heavy fighting is continuing near the (Ukrainian army) checkpoints 29 and 31," he said, pinpointing an area near the town of Slovyanoserbsk, northwest of Luhansk.
"Ukrainian forces have stopped the advance of Russian troops ... The situation in the conflict zone is serious but under our control," Lysenko said at a news briefing.
Three more battalion tactical groups of Russian motorised infantry had been tracked inside Russia heading towards the Ukrainian border, as well as an artillery division, he said.
Lysenko's announcement at a specially called news briefing was one of the boldest assertions yet by Ukraine of direct Russian military involvement in the nine-month conflict between pro-Russian separatists and government forces.
Despite what the West and Kiev says is incontrovertible proof, Moscow has continued to deny that any of its regular forces are deployed in Ukraine.
As Bloomberg reports,
Ukrainian govt claims of Russian troops, equipment entering Ukraine Jan. 19 “absolute nonsense,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov says in e-mailed statement.
Allegations from Kiev are “hallucinations”: Konashenkov
Ukraine studying plan put forward by Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw heavy weaponry from conflict zone, RIA Novosti reports, citing Russian Ambassador Mikhail Zurabov
Zurabov says Ukrainian comments on plan mostly technical: RIA
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