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lol russia. Thanks for OPEC lowering our gas prices!
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30025138
Nato officials have seen Russian military equipment and Russian combat troops entering Ukraine this week, its top commander says.
"Russian tanks, Russian artillery, Russian air defence systems and Russian combat troops" were sighted, US Gen Philip Breedlove said.
Russia's defence ministry denied that its troops were in eastern Ukraine to help pro-Russian separatists there.
However, the rebels have admitted being helped by "volunteers" from Russia.
The United Nations Security Council is convening an emergency session later on Wednesday to discuss the reported sightings.
Heavy artillery fire rocked the east Ukrainian city of Donetsk, the industrial hub held by pro-Russian separatist rebels, on Wednesday morning.
It was unclear whether the fire came from besieging government forces or the rebels themselves, or both.
There were also reports of fighting near the rebel-held city of Luhansk. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another injured north of Luhansk, when rebels fired on government positions near the village of Schastya, Ukrainian security forces said.
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Analysis: Jonathan Marcus, BBC defence and diplomatic correspondent
Events in Ukraine seem to be turning full circle.
Back in August, Nato was warning about the deployment of Russian artillery batteries inside Ukraine, the supply of Russian military equipment to the rebel forces and the build-up of further Russian combat units at the Ukrainian frontier.
Since then many of these units have been withdrawn.
But now with tensions renewed, Nato's Supreme Commander in Europe General Philip Breedlove has confirmed that over the past two days, Nato has seen columns of Russian armour, artillery and crucially - combat troops - entering Ukraine.
The question now is whether this is just a re-run of events in the summer or does a more significant clash beckon, perhaps one where the Kremlin may decide - in its terms - to teach the Ukrainians a military lesson.
General Breedlove also confirmed that Nato believes Russia is deploying nuclear-capable weapons to Crimea - a reference to reports that Russia is deploying short-range Iskander ballistic missiles there that could potentially be equipped with nuclear warheads.
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Unmarked convoys
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has reported seeing unmarked convoys in the region in recent days.
Gen Breedlove, talking to reporters on a visit to Bulgaria, was asked about the purpose of the alleged Russian troop deployment.
He replied: "As to their intent, I'm not sure. My strategic team believes that there is a possibility that, as you know, this pocket of separatist Russian-backed forces and Russian forces in the east of Ukraine - it's not a very contiguous pocket. There are lines of communications that are interrupted. There are airports that are not held by the Russian-backed forces etc.
"And so it is our first guess that these forces will go in to make this a more contiguous, more whole and capable pocket of land in order to then hold on to it long term."
Gen Breedlove did not specify how many troops, vehicles or weapons were seen. A Nato official confirmed to the BBC that Nato "assessed" that the equipment and troops were Russian in origin.
Smoke rises near the traffic control tower of the Sergey Prokofiev International Airport damaged by s ing during fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government forces, in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, on 12 November 2014.
The main city in Ukraine's east, Donetsk, has seen its heaviest s ing in weeks
Russian defence official Maj-Gen Igor Konashenkov said "there was and is no evidence" to support Gen Breedlove's claims.
Russia has consistently denied sending troops and equipment to support the rebels fighting in eastern Ukraine.
Preparations
Separately, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the country's long-range aircraft would go on patrol flights over the Arctic Ocean to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.
He said that the current situation required Russia to restart the flights, which were reduced at the end of the Cold War.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's defence minister has said that government forces are redeploying in preparation for a possible new offensive by pro-Russian separatist rebels.
Armed people and military trucks are seen near a checkpoint outside a building on the territory controlled by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic in Donetsk,
A Reuters reporter captured armed men and military vehicles near a checkpoint in Donetsk on Wednesday
"The main task I see is to prepare for combat operations. We are doing this, we are readying our reserves," Stepan Poltorak told a government meeting.
More than 4,000 people have died since government forces moved in April to put down an armed insurrection by the rebels in the two regions, which border Russia.
A fragile ceasefire was agreed in Minsk on 5 September, although hundreds of people have been killed since then.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday her government was "not satisfied" with the progress in implementing the Minsk agreement, but added that there were no plans at present for further economic sanctions against Russia over its involvement in Ukraine.
"Further economic sanctions are not planned at the moment, we are focusing on the winter and the humanitarian situation there and how to get a real ceasefire," she said.
The OSCE said earlier that the conflict could get worse.
"The level of violence in eastern Ukraine and the risk of further escalation remain high and are rising," OSCE representative Michael Bociurkiw told reporters in Kiev.
lol russia. Thanks for OPEC lowering our gas prices!
In b4 m>s chiming in "wut has russia done in ukraine you can't prove anything
Good luck putin
What took Putin so long? West already did all they could short of armed retaliation. So the West gonna send in troops or finally STFU? Try and bully Putin and see what it results in
clown came to australia for g20 summit with 4 warships....
yet the leader of this country who was running his mouth about putin over the malaysian mh70 and ukraine war is nowhere to be seen
It results in a 50% slide in the value of the ruble vs. the dollar in a year, and double digit inflation in a country that will quite possibly see a recession next year.
Russians haven't been really blaming Putin yet, but given another year of capital flight, and the inability of their oil infrastructure to maintain itself, this will end up costing Russia plenty.
We also get:
Russian bomber patrols to reach Gulf of Mexico
http://news.yahoo.com/russian-bomber...140508309.html
That happened regardless of this threads event. USA already successfully forced the decline of every market: as the global currency when everyone loses, America loses the least. Russia doing nothing at this point would have been classic behavior of a battered woman. I hope Russia forces Europe to send in trips and as a European I hope those forces get their ass handed to them to teach Europe a lesson as to who they are siding with.
Great news that Russia is sending trips to Americas backyard. After America started meddling in Russia sphere. Russia learned it's lesson from the Cuban Missile Crisis, they shouldn't have budged.
Either way Russia is being economically punished by Nato/US/Europe. Might as well do what they have been slandered by US as doing all along
I'm thinking about joining the russian military and doing 3 years in exchange for citizenship
your spheres of influence and all that neo-colonialist bull .
Russia lost it's empire at the end of cold war just like Austria (and Hungary) did after WWI and GB sometime after WWII. Sooner Russians understand that better it is for all of us.
Ukraine should be free to associate with whomever they like.
/rant over
What is your opinion of USA funding the destabilization of Russias neighbor?
What is your opinion of Russia destabilizing its neighbor?
Please do it.
And don't come whimpering back home when they find out you are a Nazi.
Also heard they are resuming strategic bomber routes in the Gulf of Mexico. Not a new thing by any means, but a definite throwback to cold war era style politics.
Hopefully Obama doesn't look like a giant puss in the face of this new aggression. Not holding my breath though.
Kinda like when American missile cruiser entered the Black Sea recently?
You Americans are comical. Whenever the scales are equaled it's "throwback to cold war era style politics".
Their region, their business.
Europe's region, our business.
Since WW II.
US played baseball while War raged in Europe.
Yep.
And the U.S. still turned the tide. And then stopped the Soviets from gulping up Europe.
Thats what a stable Democracy with a large population and resources can do.
Something that totally passed by the Soviets, who crashed their economy, and now want to have another go at it.
They are asking to be a NATO state. Not our business? It's like the people around here want to return to the 1910's mode of thinking.
Nazis were retreating before US stepped foot in Europe
LOL @ history taught in America
Gotta tip your hat to the Russians standing up to the bully. Enough powerful friends to stop from being pressured like Iran, enough military power to avoid being invaded like Iraq.
Russians did not have any trouble with Japan because US got involved after Pearl Harbor.
Soviets pulled troops for eastern campaign because of this.
Where did you learn history, did you forget the Pacific campaign?
Did you forget Japan?
The only bully the Russians need to worry about lies within their own country.
So many resources just squandered because of inept corrupt political class.
Cant even feed themselves with all that farmland, a true pity and a guide on how to mismanage a country and keep people poor and stupid.
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