Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry is accusing Russia of sending “terrorists” across the border into their breakaway eastern oblasts tonight after fighting was reported between a border patrol in Luhansk and truckloads of armed men.
Exactly who the armed men were is unclear, but they claimed the gunmen had assault weapons and rocket launchers, and are now massed on the Russian side of the border.
Luhansk is overwhelmingly ethnic Russian, and has declared itself the “People’s Republic of Luhansk,” a distinct entity from Ukraine. So far most of the fighting has occurred in the Donetsk Oblast, not Luhansk, but the border incident today suggests this may be out to change.
What little fighting was reported today was inside Ukraine, and not inside Russia, and conspicuously Russian officials have not confirmed any incidents themselves near Luhansk.
