Nato officials are to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis in eastern Ukraine, as the West steps up its accusations of direct Russian involvement in the conflict.
On Thursday Nato released satellite images it said showed Russian forces inside Ukraine. and said more than 1,000 troops were operating there.
{{Russia denies sending troops.}}
The accusations come as pro-Russian rebels gain ground. More than 2,000 people have died in months of conflict.
Heavy fighting is continuing near the strategic port of Mariupol, on the Azov Sea. Rebel forces are trying to capture the city but Ukrainian government troops are digging in.
On Thursday the separatists seized the south-eastern coastal town of Novoazovsk and are reported to have surrounded government soldiers in several places.
The advance has raised fears that the Kremlin might seek to create a land corridor between Russia and Crimea – a territory annexed by Russia from Ukraine in March.
Overnight, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the rebels to open a “humanitarian corridor” to allow the Ukrainian troops out of the encirclement in order to avoid unnecessary casualties.
Rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko later told Russian TV that his fighters had agreed to the request, on condition that the Ukrainians hand over heavy weapons and ammunition.
wirestory
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