Russians shelling Ukraine, U.S. says
Russia is launching artillery across its border into Ukraine, the U.S. says — the first time American officials have alleged such direct participation in fighting on behalf of separatists.
“Russia is firing artillery from within Russia to attack Ukrainian military positions,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Thursday in Washington.
The U.S. also has “new evidence that the Russians intend to deliver heavier and more powerful multiple-rocket launchers to the separatist forces in Ukraine,” she said.
The artillery fire from Russian units near the border was aimed at Ukrainian military targets, said Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman. “There’s no question this is an escalation” of Russia’s involvement, Warren said.
Russia has denied it is aiding the pro-Russian rebels fighting in eastern Ukraine. But Russia’s role has come under increased scrutiny since the downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight on July 17, killing all 298 passengers and crew members.
The U.S. has said a surface-to-air missile fired from territory held by the rebels shot down the plane.
Russia suggested Thursday the U.S. was trying to fabricate evidence.
“Russia doesn’t supply weapons to local de facto (separatist) authorities in eastern Ukraine,” Alexander Yakovenko, Russia’s ambassador to Britain, said. “No evidence whatsoever has been presented that the Russian government has been doing this.”
Ukrainian PM quits
In Kyiv, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk resigned after two parties quit his coalition government.
“The coalition has fallen apart, laws haven’t been voted on, soldiers can’t be paid, there’s no money to buy rifles, there’s no possibility to store up gas,” Yatsenyuk said. “What options do we have now?”
Svoboda, a nationalist group, and Vitali Klitschko’s UDAR said they’d leave the coalition and seek a snap parliamentary ballot.
“All opinion polls and direct talks with the people show that society wants a full-power reboot,” President Petro Poroshenko said, signalling his support for early elections.
EU increases sanctions
The EU is preparing to sanction top Russian security officials, including the chiefs of the successor to the Soviet-era KGB and foreign intelligence, over the Ukraine conflict.
U.S. President Barack Obama says the downing of the Malaysia Airlines jet “may stiffen the spine of our European partners” regarding sanctions.
Obama welcomed Europe’s earlier sanctions against Russia, but says the actions have come “not always as fast as we’d like.”
Security service director Alexander Bortnikov and Mikhail Fradkov, the head of foreign intelligence, are on the provisional list of sanctioned Russians. It also targets companies and entities linked to the pro-Russian insurrection and the annexed Crimea peninsula.
The Canadian government has announced further sanctions against rebels and an array of Russian arms, financial and energy companies thought to be assisting them.
bodies repatriated
Two more aircraft carrying remains of victims from the Malaysian plane disaster arrived Thursday in the Netherlands, while Australian and Dutch diplomats promoted a plan for a UN team to secure the crash site which has been controlled by pro-Russian rebels. Human remains continue to be found a week after the plane went down. Armed separatists have hindered access by investigators.