Finnish President #TPNiinistö meeting with the Russian president, Mr. Putin right now. pic.twitter.com/sZl4Y1rsi2
— TweetAtlas (@tweetatlas_real) August 15, 2014
At Donetsk, Russia border crossing. Opposite side is under control of Lugansk People's Republic. No sign of Ukrainian inspectors crossing.
— Andrew Roth (@ARothNYT) August 15, 2014
Now. For all you doubters....the #MH17 preliminary report is expected from the Dutch in the last week of August or first week of September
— Daniel Sandford (@BBCDanielS) August 15, 2014
Laurent Corbaz says only truck drivers allowed to enter Ukraine. All other Russians will stay in Russia and will be replaced by ICRC staff
— Daniel Sandford (@BBCDanielS) August 15, 2014
Good news everyone. FSB says @shaunwalker7 and @RolandOliphant report of troops entering Ukraine not true. http://t.co/YHjVKk6SiD
— Glenn Kates (@gkates) August 15, 2014
RE last tweet, should have said vehicles, not troops.
— Glenn Kates (@gkates) August 15, 2014
RFE/RL's news desk has just issued this update on the aid convoy:
Ukrainian authorities have begun inspecting a Russian convoy carrying what Moscow says is humanitarian aid.
Officials say dozens of Ukrainian border guards and customs officers crossed into Russia to inspect the convoy of more than 250 trucks.
Russia says the trucks are carrying water, food, and other aid for people in eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces are fighting pro-Russian separatists, but Western officials have expressed concern it could be a pretext for a military incursion.
Dozens of Russian armored personnel carriers (APCs) joined the convoy in the Rostov Oblast, not far from the Ukrainian border, on August 15.
Reporters for "The Guardian" and "The Telegraph" reported on August 14 seeing about 23 Russian APCs cross into Ukraine.
Meanwhile, authorities in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk said 11 civilians were killed in shelling over the previous 24 hours, while the military said fierce fighting had also taken place near Luhansk.
(Reuters, dpa AP)
According to the Ukraine government the city of Lugansk is now very isolated from the rest of pro-Russian forces pic.twitter.com/uS0Bbz9Sta
— Daniel Sandford (@BBCDanielS) August 15, 2014
Here's another update from RFE/RL's news desk:
The Donbas Battalion, a volunteer paramilitary unit in Ukraine's National Guard, denies reports that it has captured 46 Chechen mercenaries fighting alongside pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine.
The battalion's press service published a statement on Facebook rejecting a claim made by one of its members that 46 Chechen militants had surrendered to the battalion near the town of Horlivka.
There has been no official comment from either Moscow or Grozny.
The Ukrainian Army earlier reported that fighters loyal to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov had asked to be allowed out of Ukraine.
Kadyrov has denied sending troops to eastern Ukraine, where the army is waging what it calls an "antiterrorist operation" against separatist insurgents.
(unian.net, rus.newsru.ua, and 24tv.ua)
Aha, Bits of President Putin's speech from yesterday are now running WITH AUDIO on Rossiya 24
— Daniel Sandford (@BBCDanielS) August 15, 2014