NATO Says Satellite Photos Support Claim That Russian Tanks Entered Ukraine

KIEV, Ukraine — NATO released new satellite images on Sunday to support claims by the Ukraine and U.S. governments that Russia had allowed tanks to cross the border into the eastern part of this country.

Moscow has vigorously denied the charges, but if true, it would mark a significant escalation of the already bloody conflict in the east, now in its second month.

In the satellite images, according to a NATO statement, tanks can be seen leaving Rostov-na-Donu, a region in southwestern Russia, before appearing in Ukraine.

Three tanks and other military vehicles carrying fighters and weapons were observed on Thursday rolling west through the eastern Ukrainian cities of Snizhne, Torez and Makiivka in the direction of Donetsk, the epicenter of the separatist movement that has engulfed the region. Read more...