The Ukrainian military has reportedly attacked and destroyed a part of a Russian military column that has crossed the border through the separatist-held border post of Izvaryne, according to Bloomberg News, citing Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko.


The destruction of Russian military vehicles will only further increase tensions between Ukraine and Russia.Ukrainian Pravda reports that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko brought up the incident with British Prime Minsiter David Cameron today during a phone call between the two leaders. Poroshenko said that the majority of the Russian vehicles had been eliminated by Ukrainian artillery at night.

A column of Russian military vehicles was seen crossing into Ukraine yesterday. Earlier today, a detachment of Ukrainian troops was sent to inspect the contents of a supposed "humanitarian convoy" that Moscow had sent to Ukraine's restive east.

Ukrainian border guards cross frontier to inspect a huge Russian aid convoy: http://t.co/LWqTePnWLZ pic.twitter.com/Ma5QkcNgB9 - Reuters Top News (@Reuters) August 15, 2014


Now, Russia's Foreign Ministry is claiming that "intense fighting" has broken out around the aid convoy, according to Reuters.

Roland Oliphant, the Moscow correspondent for The Telegraph, tweeted that a massive column of Russian armored personnel carriers were traveling quickly towards the Russian city of Donetsk by the Ukrainian border.

Massive column of APCs flying Russian flags and some with ?c - peace keeper - driving past aid convoy and barrelling it toward Donetsk - Roland Oliphant (@RolandOliphant) August 15, 2014 These guys. Lots of them. pic.twitter.com/XM1QCCpmNQ - Roland Oliphant (@RolandOliphant) August 15, 2014

Rasmussen had previously warned on Monday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine was a "high probability" and that it would take place under the "guise of a humanitarian operation."


NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said NATO had also witnessed the "incursion" of Russian military into Ukraine. NATO had stopped short of characterizing the incursion as a full invasion.

Russia has continued to increase its military presence along the Ukrainian border despite international pressure. There are an estimated 20,000 Russian troops currently deployed along Ukraine's eastern border who are "capable of a wide spectrum of military operations," according to Pentagon press secretary Navy Rear Admiral John Kirby.