NATO accused the Kremlin on Friday of escalating the conflict in Ukraine, following reports that a small column of Russian armored vehicles had crossed overnight into an area of Ukraine where pro-Moscow rebels are battling government forces.
The Russian government denied its troops had entered Ukraine, but the media reports risked further inflaming tensions between Moscow and the West, which have already imposed costly economic restrictions on each other.
"If confirmed, they are further evidence that Russia is doing the very opposite of what it's saying. Russia has been escalating the conflict, even as it calls for de-escalation," NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said.
At a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said he was alarmed that Russian forces might have crossed the border.
"If there are any Russian military personnel or vehicles in eastern Ukraine, they need to be withdrawn immediately or the consequences could be very serious," he told reporters. Lithuania's foreign minister also voiced concern.
Britain's Guardian newspaper said on Friday that its reporter had seen several armored personnel carriers (APCs) crossing the border with Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said that some armored vehicles did cross from Russian into Ukraine overnight, and that they were investigating.
"These movements into Ukrainian territory take place practically every day with the aim of provoking (the Ukrainian side)," said Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky, a Ukrainian military spokesman.
Despite the allegations of a fresh Russian military incursion, the momentum on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine is with the government forces.
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