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NOVOKATERYNIVKA, Ukraine — The Ukrainian solders were an easy target as they launched a desperate run to safety. Pounded by a gauntlet of rocket shells, blown up in their vehicles, they died by the dozens.

In fields around the eastern Ukrainian village of Novokaterynivka, more than thirty army vehicles lay charred and pulverized into twisted piles of metal Tuesday — the result of a devastating weekend ambush by separatist forces.

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tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Ukraine military routed by rebels who claim they are on the verge of capturing the strategic Donetsk airport Back to video

The rebels said that they were on the verge of storming Donetsk airport, according to Reuters. The airport, which until the crisis erupted was one of the busiest in Ukraine, would be a huge prize for the insurgents.

The rout marked a major intensification in the separatists’ offensive in eastern Ukraine — one that the government in Kyiv, NATO and the United States say has been sustained by Russia’s direct military support.

Moscow’s aggressive stance toward Ukraine has come in both words and deeds of late, fuelled by attacks like those in Novokaterynivka as well as a leaked report that EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Vladimir Putin told him that Russia could take over Kyiv “in two weeks” if it wished.