Ukraine accuses Russia of sending in tanks, escalating crisis

Ukraine says hundreds of rebels killed as truce crumbles

KYIV — Ukraine's military said its forces killed as many as 200 rebels in fighting in Donetsk as dozens of tanks and other military vehicles crossed the border into Ukraine from Russia.

“Insurgents who were shelling Ukrainian troop positions at Donetsk Airport Thursday were killed by government troop artillery strikes,” Ukraine's Defence Ministry said on Facebook. “Four separatist tanks, two armoured personnel carriers, two howitzers, and an infantry combat vehicle were destroyed, and up to 200 insurgents were killed.”

The death toll, which couldn't be independently confirmed, is the biggest reported number of troops or fighters killed during repeated breaches of a Sept. 5 truce. Earlier, the Ukrainian government said it had suffered more than 100 killed and about 600 wounded since the ceasefire came into force.