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Russia Said to Shell Ukraine and Mass Arms Along Border As Ukraine Forces Make Headway, Russia Is Said to Step Up Role
(about 1 hour later)
KIEV, Ukraine — Responding to strong advances by the Ukrainian military against separatist insurgents in the week since the downing of a passenger jet, Russia has stepped up its direct involvement in the hostilities in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian and American officials say, unleashing artillery attacks on Ukrainian positions from Russian territory and amassing heavy weapons along the border that Kiev and its allies fear could be pushed across to reinforce the rebels and prolong the fighting. KIEV, Ukraine — Responding to strong advances by the Ukrainian military against insurgents in the week since the downing of a passenger jet, Russia has stepped up its direct involvement in the hostilities in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian and American officials say. It has unleashed artillery attacks on Ukrainian positions from Russian territory and amassed heavy weapons along the border that could be pushed across to prolong the fighting, they say.
American officials, citing military intelligence, including satellite images, warned that Russia appeared to be preparing to arm the rebels with more high-powered weaponry — including tanks and armored vehicles — than it had previously supplied. In Kiev, a military spokesman said that Ukrainian troops were coming under increased fire from the Russian side of the border and that the Ukrainian military had recently shot down three Russian surveillance drones. One was used to target a Ukrainian base near the town of Amvrosiivka, which then quickly came under heavy rocket attack, the spokesman said. American officials, citing military intelligence, including satellite images, warned that Russia appeared to be preparing to arm the rebels with more high-powered weaponry — including tanks and armored vehicles — than it had previously supplied.
The military spokesman, Andriy Lysenko, said on Friday that Ukrainian forces were engaged in particularly heavy fighting near a border crossing at Chervona Zorya, not far from where two Ukrainian fighter jets were downed on Wednesday in what Ukrainian officials said was a missile attack from the Russian side of the border. Among the achievements of the Ukrainian forces was the retaking, following days of intense fighting, of Lysychansk, a rebel stronghold that had posed a strategic obstacle to government troops pressing an advance through the Luhansk region from the north and the west. The Ukrainian military had called in air support as ground troops struggled to expel the insurgents from the city of more than 100,000, on the right bank of the Seversky Donets River.
“We have facts of shelling of Ukrainian positions from the territory of Russian Federation,” Mr. Lysenko said at a briefing in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital. “We have facts on the violation of air border between Ukraine and Russia.” The reports of increased hostilities suggest that instead of de-escalating its military intervention in Ukraine in the aftermath of the Malaysia Airlines jet’s downing — by a missile the United States and Ukraine say was supplied by Russia — Moscow is devoting even more firepower to the cause, despite international condemnation and the imposition of tougher United States sanctions.
A NATO military officer, who asked not to be named because the comments were about sensitive intelligence matters, said by telephone, “The United States has shared intelligence information with NATO today regarding strikes that are occurring from within Russian territory firing into Ukraine territory.” A NATO military officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the comments were about sensitive intelligence matters, said by telephone, “The United States has shared intelligence information with NATO today regarding strikes that are occurring from within Russian territory firing into Ukraine territory.”
In Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, a military spokesman said on Friday that Ukrainian troops were coming under increased fire from the Russian side of the border and that the Ukrainian military had recently shot down three Russian surveillance drones. One was used to target a Ukrainian base near the town of Amvrosiivka, which then quickly came under heavy rocket attack, the spokesman said.
The military spokesman, Andriy Lysenko, said Ukrainian forces were engaged in particularly heavy fighting near a border crossing at Chervona Zorya, not far from where two Ukrainian fighter jets were downed on Wednesday in what Ukrainian officials said was a missile attack from the Russian side of the border.
“We have facts of shelling of Ukrainian positions from the territory of Russian Federation,” Mr. Lysenko said. “We have facts on the violation of air border between Ukraine and Russia.”
Mr. Lysenko said some Russian soldiers had surrendered to Ukrainian forces. “We have information about weapons and mercenaries, who have respective skills for warfare, who have been passing over from the territory of Russian Federation,” he said.Mr. Lysenko said some Russian soldiers had surrendered to Ukrainian forces. “We have information about weapons and mercenaries, who have respective skills for warfare, who have been passing over from the territory of Russian Federation,” he said.
Russia has repeatedly denied that its forces are involved in the fighting in eastern Ukraine and that it is supplying rebels with weapons and other equipment, despite a substantial body of evidence collected by Ukraine and its allies. Ukraine and the United States have also said the missile that destroyed the passenger jet, a Boeing 777 flying as Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, was fired from rebel territory using a system supplied by Russia. Russia has repeatedly denied that its forces are involved in the fighting in eastern Ukraine and that it is supplying rebels with weapons and other equipment, despite a substantial body of evidence collected by Ukraine and its allies. Ukraine and the United States have also said the missile that destroyed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was fired from rebel territory using a system supplied by Russia.
Ukrainian officials say their forces in recent days have recaptured at least 10 towns, shrinking the amount of territory under rebel control in the embattled regions of Luhansk and Donetsk and gaining substantial advantage, including over some of the main highways in the region. Officials have said they believe that they could defeat the rebels within three weeks, if there is no further intervention by Russia, either in the form of new vehicles and weapons or — less likely — a direct invasion by Russian forces. Ukrainian officials say their forces in recent days have recaptured at least 10 towns, shrinking the amount of territory under rebel control in the embattled regions of Luhansk and Donetsk and gaining substantial advantage, including over some of the main highways in the region. Officials have said they believe that they could defeat the rebels within three weeks if there is no further intervention by Russia, either in the form of new vehicles and weapons or — less likely — a direct invasion by Russian forces.
In recent days, officials have said, there have been incessant attacks from Russian territory, as well as incursions into Ukrainian airspace by Russian military aircraft. Mr. Lysenko said on Thursday that several border posts, along with the Luhansk airport, were shelled by Grad rockets fired from Russian territory.In recent days, officials have said, there have been incessant attacks from Russian territory, as well as incursions into Ukrainian airspace by Russian military aircraft. Mr. Lysenko said on Thursday that several border posts, along with the Luhansk airport, were shelled by Grad rockets fired from Russian territory.
Last week, Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, NATO’s top commander, cited a video that appears to show the Russian military firing the Grad rockets into Ukraine. “I am deeply concerned by this latest video that appears to show Russia engaging in military action against Ukraine,” General Breedlove wrote on Twitter.
While Ukraine has long complained about the flow of weapons, tanks and volunteer fighters across the Russian border, the allegations of direct Russian intervention have grown far more serious in the last two weeks.
On July 14, a Ukrainian military transport plane was shot down by what Ukrainian officials said was a powerful missile fired from the Russian side of the border. The next day, officials said, a Russian plane bombed an apartment building in the town of Snizhne, killing 11 people, and the day after that, a Russian MiG-29 crossed into Ukrainian airspace and engaged two Ukrainian Su-25 fighter jets in a dogfight before shooting one down. The Malaysia Airlines jetliner, with 298 people aboard, was shot down the next afternoon.
“The quantity and sophistication of weaponry being sent by Russia across the border is increasing,” one Western official said on Friday, adding that Russian artillery units have been firing into Ukraine from Russian territory “in direct support of separatists.” Like other officials with access to classified intelligence assessments, he spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Even as Russia has been firing into Ukraine, there has been rising concern about Russian forces positioned near the Russian-Ukrainian border.
A senior American official said last week that Russia had about 13,000 troops and more than half a dozen combined arms battalions near the border. On Thursday, another American official said that more units were headed to the border area, and that it remained to be seen whether they were being sent to reinforce the Russian forces or replace some of the troops there.
By placing forces close to the border, the Russians can provide fire support to the separatists, prevent Ukrainian troops from establishing control over the border and facilitate the delivery of Russian arms to the separatists. The Ukrainian military has expressed frustration that at least two sections of the border remain porous.
One of the goals of the Russian artillery and short-range-missile attacks on targets in Ukrainian territory, an American official said, is to keep Ukrainian forces away from the border, making it easier for Russia to transport weapons and cooperate with the insurgents.
American officials have said that a training area for Ukrainian separatists has been set up near Rostov in southwestern Russia, and that instruction has taken place there involving the use of major weapons systems, including air defense systems.
In a letter on Friday, Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, urged the 28 leaders of the European Union’s member states to streamline the sanctions approvals process so that stronger sanctions against Russia could go into effect as soon as possible, according to a person with knowledge of the letter. The person asked not to be named because the letter had not been made public.
The beefed-up sanctions, which still are being discussed among European Union governments, are expected to affect the ability of Russian banks to raise money and limit the sales of certain technologies to Russia.