U.S. Department of State: Russia directing counteroffensive in Donbas

02:10, 28.08.2014 1 min read

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki says that Russia is directing a counteroffensive in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Voice of America reported in the early hours of Thursday.

The U.S. Department of State said Russian military hardware crossing the border included tanks and rocket launchers. "We've also seen reports of separatists shelling residential areas in a coastal town between the border and Mariupol, and we have seen reports of heavy fighting and shelling near the city and airport in Donetsk," Psaki told reporters.

"These incursions indicate a Russian-directed counteroffensive is likely underway in Donetsk and Luhansk," she said.

"We're also concerned by the Russian government's unwillingness to tell the truth even as its soldiers are found 30 miles inside Ukraine," she said.