On Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Ukraine that its soldiers had violated the border and demanded it stop all provocations. Moscow released this statement a day after Russian tanks were reported inside Ukraine.
“On June 3, two infantry fighting vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces illegally crossed the Russian border in Rostov Region. We consider such actions an illegal act that will prevent the peaceful resolution of the armed conflict in the southeast of Ukraine,” said the ministry.
According to the ministry, these moves could prevent the talks between Kiev and Moscow to stop the violence in the east.
They did not provide a reason why it took Moscow over ten days to report the alleged violation.
On Thursday, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Russia moved tanks into east Ukraine on Wednesday night.
“Tonight, three T-72 tanks crossed Ukraine’s state border from Russia. One tank is in the town of Snizhne. Two other tanks moved out of the town. In the vicinity of Snizhne these tanks were intercepted by Ukrainian troops. The fight is ongoing. There are reports that a Russian T-72 was hit,” said Interior Minister Arsen Avakov.
Dmytro Tymchuk, head of the Information Resistance group, confirmed Avakov’s statement.
“In Ukraine, these tanks were decommissioned from the arsenal of the Armed Forces. However, they are in service with the Russian army. There is also evidence that APCs available to militants in Snizhne were previously captured by Russian soldiers in Crimea at the military units of Ukrainian coastal defense troops,” Tymchuk wrote on his Facebook page.
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