MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed Friday that NATO satellite pictures showing Russian military involvement in Ukraine had "turned out to be from computer games." Speaking on Russia 24 television, Lavrov said that the West had produced "no facts" to support its accusations that separatists in eastern Ukraine had been joined by Russian forces.
On Thursday, NATO released images it said showed that Russian combat troops had crossed into Ukraine. The images, some taken as recently as Aug. 21, purportedly depict Russian self-propelled artillery units moving in a convoy through Ukraine and then establishing "firing positions" in Krasnodon, just outside the Russian border. On Friday, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russian troops are involved in "direct military operations" inside its smaller neighbor.
IN-DEPTH
- The Russians Are Coming: What's Putin's End Game?
- Russian Forces Moving Inside Ukraine Claims President Poroshenko
- U.S. Accuses Russia of Directing New Offensive in Ukraine