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Kiev says three Russian tanks entered east Ukraine Ukraine says 'Russian tank incursion' unacceptable
(about 2 hours later)
Ukraine's interior minister has said three tanks have crossed the border from Russia into rebel areas of the east and that fighting is under way. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has told President Vladimir Putin that reports of Russian tanks moving into Ukrainian territory are unacceptable.
The tanks entered Ukraine along with other armour through a checkpoint controlled by rebels in the Luhansk region, Arsen Avakov said. Ukraine's interior minister said earlier that three tanks had entered rebel areas of the east, and fighting was under way.
The army engaged two of them and destroyed part of the column, he said. Arsen Avakov said that the tanks entered Ukraine along with other armour through a border checkpoint controlled by rebels in the Luhansk region.
Russia has rejected Mr Avakov's statement as "another fake piece of information". Russia denied the report.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who was elected last month, and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had a "substantial" conversation by phone on Kiev's plan of peaceful settlement in the east, Ukraine's presidency said in a statement. It said it was "another fake piece of information".
Mr Poroshenko said that it was "unacceptable" for the tanks to be crossing into Ukraine, his press secretary said. Moscow has accused President Poroshenko of not delivering on his earlier pledge to stop fighting in the east. It wants an investigation into allegations that Ukrainian forces used banned incendiary bombs against civilians.
Pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions declared independence after holding referendums last month which were deemed illegal by the government in Kiev. "The lack of any progress whatsoever in efforts to stop the violence and halt military operations... is causing increasing concern," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of supporting and arming the rebels - a claim denied by Moscow. He said that reports in the Russian media that incendiary bombs were being used was another "cause for special concern".
The rebellion began amid the turmoil which followed February's ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych, whose last-minute decision not to sign a landmark treaty with the European Union in November sparked mass street protests in Kiev. The bombs are designed to trigger major firestorms and were often used during the Vietnam War before they were banned by the United Nations.
'Fight under way' Ukraine has denied using the weapons. It has accused Russia of allowing the rebels to deploy three Soviet-era T-72 tanks across the border into the east of the country.
Ukraine's presidency said in a statement that Mr Poroshenko, who was elected last month, had a "substantial" conversation by telephone with Mr Putin on Kiev's plan of bringing peace to the east.
'Destroyed'
Mr Avakov said the tanks had crossed the border from Russia along with armoured personnel carriers and artillery pieces in the Dyakove area of Luhansk region, before moving into the neighbouring Donetsk region.Mr Avakov said the tanks had crossed the border from Russia along with armoured personnel carriers and artillery pieces in the Dyakove area of Luhansk region, before moving into the neighbouring Donetsk region.
There, Ukraine's interior minister said, the tanks headed for the town of Snizhne on Thursday morning. Two then proceeded to the town of Horlivka and were attacked by government forces. Two headed towards the town of Horlivka and were attacked by government forces, he added.
"The fight is under way," Mr Avakov said. "I cannot say about its final outcome, but part of this column has been destroyed."
Unverified video has been posted on YouTube of a battle tank rolling down a street said to be in Snizhne. The footage was shot from a flat overlooking the street.Unverified video has been posted on YouTube of a battle tank rolling down a street said to be in Snizhne. The footage was shot from a flat overlooking the street.
A second clip, also said to have been recorded in Snizhne, shows a similar tank passing a roundabout.A second clip, also said to have been recorded in Snizhne, shows a similar tank passing a roundabout.
The Russian foreign ministry told the BBC that Mr Avakov "was inventive and that the statement about Russian tanks and APCs crossing the border into Ukraine was another fake piece of information".
There was no confirmation about the tanks from the insurgents.There was no confirmation about the tanks from the insurgents.
A rebel spokesman told Russia's Ria-Novosti news agency that they were fighting a force of 40 Ukrainian tanks north of the city of Luhansk. Pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions declared independence after holding referendums last month which were deemed illegal by the government in Kiev.
The tanks had been stopped at the village of Makarovo, the spokesman said. Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of supporting and arming the rebels - a claim denied by Moscow.
The rebellion began amid the turmoil which followed February's ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych, whose last-minute decision not to sign a landmark treaty with the European Union in November sparked mass street protests in Kiev.