Well-known Ukrainian military analyst Dmitry Tymchuk says that Russia has de facto invaded eastern Ukraine, with heavy weapons manned by regular Russian troops (in Russian).
From our news desk:
Ukraine says its forces, backed by warplanes, have broken a rebel blockade of Luhansk airport in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine's military said the air strikes inflicted heavy losses on the pro-Russian separatists, including an armored convoy that Kyiv says crossed the border from Russia.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's office said Kyiv will present proof of incursions from Russia to the international community on July 14.
Meanwhile, the Russian daily "Kommersant" quoted a source close to the Kremlin as saying Moscow was considering the possibility of "targeted retaliatory strikes" against Ukraine over cross-border shelling hitting Russian territory.
Moscow said on July 13 that a Ukrainian shell had killed a civilian in the Russian border town of Donetsk.
Ukraine denied the claim, saying government forces "never will fire on the territory of a neighboring state." (AFP and Reuters)
LATEST from our news desk:
Kyiv is accusing Russia of building up forces on its border with Ukraine and says that separatists backed by "Russian mercenaries" are firing on Ukrainian border guards in an attempt to bring armored vehicles into the country.
Ukrainian National and Security Council spokesman Andriy Lysenko told journalists that the clashes took place in the early hours of July 14 near the border settlement of Dyakove.
He said the events "show that the Russian side has embarked on a course of escalation of the conflict in the Donbas."
Kyiv continues to seek release of a military pilot and filmmaker detained by Russia: