Ukraine: 50 Russian tanks and 40 missile systems rolled into the country while Putin talked peace
Armored columns of Russian-speaking soldiers without insignias have advanced around Debaltseve, which has seen heavy fighting recently.
"The enemy continues to strengthen its forces in the most dangerous areas, especially in northeast Luhansk region and in the direction of Debaltseve," spokesman Andriy Lysenko said in a daily briefing, referring to a strategic transport hub that has been the focus of heavy fighting in recent weeks.
He said the tanks and other military hardware had crossed the border "despite statements by Russian officials about the absence of Russian military equipment and forces on Ukrainian territory."
Russia has also begun conducting military exercises in 12 regions involving more than 30 missile regiments on the border, RIA news agency reported on Thursday, citing a Defence Ministry official.
All the while, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and his Russian counterpart met with Germany's Merkel and France's Hollande to broker a deal on a ceasefire in Ukraine in Minsk, Belarus, on Wednesday.
REUTERS/Grigory DukorBelarus' President Alexander Lukashenko (L), Russia's President Vladimir Putin (2nd L), Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko (R), Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel (C) and France's President Francois Hollande pose for a family photo during peace talks in Minsk, February 11, 2015.
The new peace deal states that "foreign armed formations" and "military equipment" will leave the "territory of Ukraine," and as the Telegraph reports, requires no real concessions from Vladimir Putin.
Since the fight began 10 months ago in east Ukraine, more than 5,300 people have died, the AP reports. Kiev blames Moscow for the conflict after annexing the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea last March. Putin continues to deny arming pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine or sending in Russian troops.