Military says soldiers forced into Russia
by rebel fire , while other reports say the
troops " abandoned Kiev" .
More than 400 Ukrainian soldiers have
crossed the border into Russia and
deserted the Kiev government , according
to an Interfax news agency report
quoting a border security official.
Ukraine confirmed the crossing , which
happened on Monday , but said the
soldiers were forced into Russian
territory by rebel fire .
Vasily Malayev , head of the Federal
Security Service' s border patrol in the
Rostov region , told Interfax that 438
Ukrainian soldiers had reached Russia on
Monday.
He said the Russian side had opened a
safe corridor for the soldiers into Russia .
Late on Monday , Malayev said 180 of the
troops had since been returned to
Ukraine after consultations with Kiev
while the rest were deciding what to do
next.
The Ukrainian military confirmed that
part of a brigade had most likely crossed
into Russian territory , although it
disputed Russia' s version of events and
would not say how many soldiers had
crossed the border.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian military
operation in the east , Oleksiy
Dmitrashkovsky, said troops from the
army' s 72 nd brigade were penned into
their position and came under a
sustained barrage of rocket attacks from
separatist forces.
Rebel fighters fired for four hours from
multiple heavy weapons, including tanks ,
mortars , artillery and Grad missile
launchers , Dmitrashkovsky said, and
eventually the brigade was forced to
divide up into two sections to break out.
" One was meant to break out and join
forces with a support unit . The other
unit had the task of providing fire
cover," Dmitrashkovsky said .
" In doing that they fired their weapons
until no ammunition remained, after
which they abandoned their position and
reached a place near a border crossing
on Russian territory. "
Military drills
Dmitrashkovsky said it was too early to
confirm how many soldiers had crossed
into Russia.
" We do not have such information. The
Russians are capable of claiming
anything they want," he said.
Earlier on Monday, Interfax reported that
Russia' s air force began military drills in
central and western regions of the
country , a move that could stir further
fears that Russia is ready to flex its
military muscle in Ukraine .
The drills will start on Monday and last
until Friday , Igor Klimov, air force
chief , was reported as saying , and will
involve more than 100 fighter jets and
helicopters.
Pro- Russian separatists in eastern
Ukraine have been battling the Kiev
government since April , a conflict that
has claimed at least 1 ,129 civilian
casualties, according to a UN estimate.

That's very serious.

Russia get mouth

These people should just give up already! Let the separatist have what they want, After all a good number of people in Donetsk, Luhansk and much of eastern Ukraine want to be with Russia or at least have their country. Why are you stopping them? Why are you wasting the lives of your soldiers? You can't win Russia and that's final. The West have abandoned you. Stop wasting the precious lives of your army already! Expect more Ukrainian soldiers running to Russia like chicken. If na me too i go run....This one pass my power .

i support the separatist,Ukraine is doing exactly what Nigerian did to biafra but unlike Nigeria they won't succeed!