Ukraine: Rebel leader says 1.200 Russian fighters and weapons en route to eastern Ukraine
The rebel leader in Donetsk has said a column of military hardware is on its way to eastern Ukraine from Russia. Meanwhile, his fighters appeared to bolster their positions on the front lines, where they are fighting pitched battles with government forces in a desperate attempt to hold onto their ever-shrinking territory.
Alexander Zakharchenko, the newly appointed prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, said during a meeting with separatist leaders that a column of military vehicles with weapons and personnel was advancing toward the Ukrainian frontier from Russia.
“I’d like to give you some good news,” Zakharchenko told his comrades in an address on Aug. 15 that was published on YouTube. “At present, moving towards the corridor [from Russia to Ukraine that is controlled by the rebels] are… 150 items of military hardware, 30 of which are tanks and the rest are infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers.”
Joining the military column are 1,200 personnel who had received four months’ training in Russia, he added.