NATO chief slams Moscow

NATO chief slams Moscow's 'hollow denials' of Ukraine aggressionBy Laura Smith-Spark and Victoria Butenko, CNNAugust 29, 2014 -- Updated 1147 GMT (1947 HKT)Your video will begin momentarily.STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: NATO chief says Russia is trying to "destabilize Ukraine as a sovereign nation"Russian foreign minister suggests NATO satellite images may be from computer gamesRussia's Vladimir Putin calls for a humanitarian corridor for Ukrainian troopsU.N. human rights chief says civilians are being killed and injured in fightingKiev, Ukraine (CNN) -- NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Friday condemned what he called a "serious escalation of Russian aggression" in Ukraine and said Moscow is carrying out direct military operations there.Accusing Moscow of "hollow denials," Rasmussen said that Russian troops had illegally crossed the border into Ukraine and that this was not an isolated action but part of a campaign to "destabilize Ukraine as a sovereign nation."Rasmussen, who spoke after a meeting of NATO ambassadors in Brussels, Belgium, said Russia's action was a blatant violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and "defies all diplomatic efforts for a peaceful solution."NATO on Thursday produced what it says are satellite images showing Russian troops engaged in military operations inside Ukraine.At a press conference on Thursday, August 28, Dutch Brig. Gen. Nico Tak, a senior NATO commander, revealed satellite images of what NATO says are Russian combat forces engaged in military operations in or near Ukrainian territory. NATO said this image shows Russian self-propelled artillery units set up in firing positions near Krasnodon, in eastern Ukraine.These two images show a military deployment site on the Russian side of the border near Rostov-on-Don, NATO said. This location is about 31 miles from the Dovzhansky border checkpoint.This image, captured on July 23, depicts what are NATO says are probably six Russian 2S19 self-propelled, 153mm guns near Kuybyshevo, Russia. This site is 4 miles south of the Ukraine border, near the village of Chervonyi Zhovten. Although the guns are not in Ukraine, NATO said, they are pointed north, toward Ukrainian territory.This image shows a wider overview including the position of the self-propelled guns from image 4.Pictured here, NATO said, are Russian military units moving in a convoy formation with self-propelled artillery in the area of Krasnodon, Ukraine.Intelligence now indicates that up to 1,000 Russian troops have moved into southern Ukraine with heavy weapons and are fighting there, a U.S. official told CNN on Thursday.NATO: Images show Russian forces in UkraineNATO: Images show Russian forces in UkraineNATO: Images show Russian forces in UkraineNATO: Images show Russian forces in UkraineNATO: Images show Russian forces in UkraineNATO: Images show Russian forces in UkraineHIDE CAPTION<<<123456>>>Russian Combat Forces Inside the Territory of UkraineHow will the world respond to Ukraine?Ukrainian soldiers stop on a roadside as they wait for the start of their march into Mariupol, Ukraine, on Wednesday, August 27. Ukrainian government forces have been battling pro-Russian rebels near Ukraine's eastern border with Russia. The fighting has left more than 2,000 people dead since mid-April, according to estimates from U.N. officials.A man opens a box on August 27 filled with rocket-propelled grenades left by the Ukrainian army in Starobecheve, Ukraine, after pro-Russian forces took control of the town.A pro-Russian rebel walks through a local market damaged by shelling in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Tuesday, August 26.Ukrainian servicemen of the volunteer battalion Azov leave for Novoazovsk, Ukraine, on August 26.Pro-Russian separatists escort captured Ukrainian army soldiers in a central square in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Sunday, August 24.People yell as Ukrainian prisoners are paraded through Donetsk in eastern Ukraine on August 24.A pro-Russian rebel delivers a speech atop a damaged Ukrainian armored personnel carrier in Donetsk on August 24. Ukraine has recently retaken control of much of its eastern territory bordering Russia, but fierce fighting for the rebel-held cities of Donetsk and Luhansk persists.People look at damaged Ukrainian military equipment in Donetsk on August 24.The first trucks of a Russian aid convoy roll on the main road to Luhansk in eastern Ukraine on Friday, August 22. The head of Ukraine's security service called the convoy a "direct invasion" under the guise of humanitarian aid since it entered the country without Red Cross monitors.A pro-Russian rebel holds shrapnel from a rocket after shelling in Donetsk, Ukraine, on August 22.Residents sit in a makeshift bomb shelter during a shelling in Makiyivka, Ukraine, on Wednesday, August 20.Dogs play together as a Russian convoy carrying aid supplies stops at a border control point with Ukraine, in the Russian town of Donetsk, in the Rostov-on-Don region on August 20.Ukrainian forces take their position not far from Luhansk, Ukraine, on August 20. Ukrainian troops made a significant push into rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine, claiming control over a large part of Luhansk and encircling the largest rebel-held city, Donetsk, in fighting that has left at least 43 dead.Clouds of smoke are on the horizon as Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels clash in Yasynuvata, a suburb of Donetsk, Ukraine, on Tuesday, August 19.An Ukrainian helicopter flies near Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on August 19.Ukrainian soldiers load a missile during fighting with pro-Russian rebels Monday, August 18, near Luhansk, Ukraine.Boys play at a refugee camp, set up by the Russian Emergencies Ministry, near the Russian-Ukrainian border on August 18.Ukrainian soldiers carry weapons at a checkpoint near Debaltseve, Ukraine, on Saturday, August 16.Pro-Russian rebels greet each other as they pass near Krasnodon, Ukraine, on August 16.A fireman tries to extinguish a fire after shelling in Donetsk on August 16.Ukrainian border guards patrol near Novoazovsk, Ukraine, on Friday, August 15.Trucks of a Russian humanitarian convoy are parked in a field outside the town of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, in the Rostov region of Russia about 20 miles from the Ukraine border, on August 15. Ukrainian officials were preparing to inspect the convoy, which was bound for the conflict-torn east.A truck driver from the convoy jumps out of a trailer on August 15. The Ukrainian government had expressed fears that the convoy was a large-scale effort to smuggle supplies or troops to pro-Russian rebels.A tank belonging to pro-Russian rebels moves along a street in Donetsk on August 15.A Ukrainian soldier walks past a line of self-propelled guns as a column of military vehicles prepares to head to the front line near Illovaisk, Ukraine, on Thursday, August 14.A Ukrainian soldier prepares a mortar at a position near Illovaisk on August 14.A man inspects damage at his house after a shelling in Donetsk on August 14.A convoy of trucks, which Moscow said was carrying relief goods for war-weary civilians, moves from Voronezh, Russia, toward Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on August 14.Pro-Russian rebels on the outskirts of Donetsk stand at a checkpoint near a bullet-riddled bus on Wednesday, August 13.A pro-Russian rebel inspects damage after shelling in Donetsk on Thursday, August 7.Smoke billows from a Ukrainian fighter jet crash near the village of Zhdanivka, Ukraine, on August 7.Residents of eastern Ukraine cry in a hospital basement being used as a bomb shelter August 7 in Donetsk.Ordnance from a Ukrainian rocket launcher shoots toward a pro-Russian militant position in the Donetsk region on August 7.Relatives of Ukrainian military member Kyril Andrienko, who died in combat in eastern Ukraine, gather during his funeral in Lviv, Ukraine, on August 7.Refugees from southeastern Ukraine wait at a refugee camp in Donetsk on Wednesday, August 6.A pro-Russian rebel adjusts his weapon in Donetsk on August 6.Men walk past a bomb crater in Donetsk on August 6.A man steps out of his car as Ukrainian soldiers inspect the vehicle at a checkpoint in Debaltseve on August 6.Ukrainian servicemen sit on a bus near Slovyansk, Ukraine, on Tuesday, August 5.A pro-Russian separatist guards a road as Australian, Malaysian and Dutch investigators prepare to examine the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 near the village of Rossipne, Ukraine, on August 5. U.S. and Ukrainian officials allege that a Russian-made missile shot down the plane from rebel-held territory, killing all 298 people on board. Russia and the rebel fighters deny involvement.Rescue workers carry the body of a woman who was killed during a bomb shelling in Donetsk on August 5.A boy stands in a hallway of a refugee hostel run by pro-Russian rebels in Donetsk on Monday, August 4.Ukrainian servicemen from the Donbass volunteer battalion clean their guns Sunday, August 3, in Popasna, Ukraine.Ukrainian soldiers fire shells toward rebel positions near Pervomaysk, Ukraine, on Saturday, August 2.Ukrainian troops patrol near the village of Novoselovka on Thursday, July 31.A woman says goodbye to her mother as she flees her home in Shakhtersk, Ukraine, on Tuesday, July 29. See more photos of the crisis from earlier this yearCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in UkraineCrisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine Crisis in Ukraine HIDE CAPTION <<<1234678910111213141517181920212223242526282930313233343536373940414243444546 > >>Photos: Crisis in UkraineOn the same day, a U.S. official accused Russia of sending up to 1,000 of its soldiers into southern Ukraine to fight alongside the rebels. An emergency U.N. Security Council was summoned over the crisis.Russia continues to deny that it is either supporting the rebel forces or has sent its own forces over the border.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the NATO evidence at a news conference in Moscow on Friday.Referring to past satellite images presented by NATO apparently showing a buildup of Russian forces on Ukraine's border, he claimed that "it turned out those were images from computer games -- the latest accusations are pretty similar."Lavrov said no evidence of a purported incursion was presented to Russia, adding, "I do believe that hiding the evidence is an outstanding characteristic of the U.S. and many EU countries" with regards to Ukraine.Humanitarian corridorEarlier Friday, the Russian President's office said pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine should open a humanitarian corridor for surrounded Ukrainian troops to retreat from the battlefield, the Friday. Ukrainian troops have been fighting on two fronts: southeast of rebel-held Donetsk, and along the nation's southern coast in the town of Novoazovsk, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from the Russian border.Mykhailo Lysenko, the deputy commander of the Ukrainian Donbas battalion, on Thursday described the fighting in the south as "a full-scale invasion."Analysts suggest that Russia may have sent its forces into Novoazovsk to secure a land route from the border to the Crimean peninsula it annexed from Ukraine in March, and in order to throw Ukrainian forces making gains against besieged rebel forces in the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk off balance.In a statement issued by the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin said the rebels had halted a Ukrainian military operation in eastern Ukraine that he said had endangered the civilian population and caused many casualties.As a result, he said, they should allow the Ukrainian soldiers -- who he said were fulfilling orders, not volunteering -- to leave the battlefield, to reunite with their families, get medical help for the injured and avoid more casualties.Experts: Russia is invading UkraineSen. Nelson: U.S. should arm UkraineUkraine: 'Full-scale invasion' by RussiaThe Prime Minister of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, said in a televised statement on Russia's state-run Russia 24 channel that the rebels would do so if the surrounded Ukrainian troops agree to hand over their weapons.West to consider further sanctionsU.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed in a phone call Thursday that it would be necessary for the United States and the European Union to consider additional sanctions on Russia.They also reiterated their determination to continue to work for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, a White House readout of the call said.Speaking to reporters in Washington, Obama said, "The violence is encouraged by Russia. The separatists are trained by Russia; they are armed by Russia; they are funded by Russia."Calling sanctions against Russia already in place "effective," he said it would face additional costs and consequences for its ongoing incursion.The economic sanctions imposed so far against Russian individuals and businesses have had an impact but have also affected some European businesses. Russia has imposed its own sanctions in retaliation for the Western measures.Russia is a major supplier of natural gas to European nations, complicating efforts to exert pressure on Moscow.EU foreign ministers are meeting in Italy on Friday and Saturday to discuss the crisis.NATO: Satellite images show Russian troopsA U.S. official told CNN on Thursday that intelligence now indicates that up to 1,000 Russian troops have moved into southern Ukraine with heavy weapons and are fighting there.NATO, meanwhile, provided satellite images showing what it said were Russian artillery engaged in military operations inside Ukraine in late August.See the NATO satellite imagesBrig. Gen. Nico Tak, a senior NATO commander in Europe, said Thursday that the satellite images "provide additional evidence that Russian combat soldiers, equipped with sophisticated heavy weaponry, are operating inside Ukraine's sovereign territory" and that the Russians are transferring advanced weapons to the rebels."The presence of these weapons along with substantial numbers of Russian combat troops inside Ukraine make the situation increasingly grave," he said.Commercial satellite imagery shows the same, according to a British security source with detailed knowledge of UK intelligence estimates. One image that British intelligence has analyzed, dated Tuesday, shows 15 heavy trucks, at least seven armored vehicles and at least nine artillery positions.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the flow of weapons over the border was hindering efforts to restore peace.U.N. reports abuses, civilian deathsHeavy fighting in densely populated areas of eastern Ukraine has led to the death and injury of many civilians trapped in urban areas, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said.A new report Friday, covering the month to August 17, said an average of 36 people were killed every day."There is an urgent need to end the fighting and violence in the eastern regions, before more civilians are harmed or forced to flee, or face intolerable hardships trapped inside the conflict zones," said U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.The report also documents "a wide array of serious human rights abuses" committed primarily by the rebel fighters.Violations have also been committed by members of the Ukrainian military as they try to recapture rebel-held territory, it said.At least 2,593 people were killed in Ukraine between mid-April and August 27, it said. Journalist Victoria Butenko reported from Kiev, and Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported in London. CNN's Alla Eshchenko, Elaine Ly and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.Comments »SHARE THISPrintEmailMore sharingRedditStumbleUponDeliciousWe recommendCan you crack it? The world's first 'unstealable' bike (Promoted - CNN International - Tech)'Aggressive' Chinese fighter jet flies dangerously close to U.S. Navy plane (Promoted - -World)Inside the billion-dollar, super-censored inflight movie industry (Promoted - CNN International - Travel)。