THE WORLD AT A GLANCE The NATO satellite pictures that prove Russia IS fighting inside Ukraine as Obama says Moscow is responsible for the violence

The NATO satellite pictures that prove Russia IS fighting inside Ukraine as Obama says Moscow is responsible for the violence

Russian tanks have been filmed rumbling through Ukraine as president Barack Obama has laid blame for the conflict squarely with Russia. Petro Poroshenko has called for urgent meeting of UN Security Council amid increasing reports of Russian troops fighting with rebels in Ukraine. The US ambassador to Kiev said Russian troops and state-of-the-art air defence systems were being used against Ukrainian forces. As more shelling hit Donetsk (pictured) Ukraine's security and defence council today said the border town of Novoazovsk and other parts of Ukraine's south-east had fallen under the control of Russian forces who together with rebels were staging a counter-offensive.

The NATO satellite pictures that prove Russia IS fighting inside Ukraine as Obama says Moscow is responsible for the violence

  • Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko demands UN action over incursions 
  • Rebel leader admits Russian soldiers are fighting inside Ukraine
  • US president Barack Obama says responsibility for conflict lies with Russia
  • Tensions rise in south-east of country as forces take up key sites 
  • Ukraine calls on EU for assistance as battle for port of Mariupol looms 
  • 'An invasion is an invasion is an invasion!' says UN ambassador 
Russian tanks have been filmed rumbling through Ukraine as president Barack Obama has laid blame for the conflict squarely with Russia.
Alarm has risen as a top NATO official said at least 1,000 Russian troops had entered Ukraine and had been in direct 'contact' with Ukrainian soldiers, while the UN Security Council has held an emergency meeting to find a solution to the crisis.
Obama told reporters: 'The violence is encouraged by Russia. The separatists are trained by Russia, they are armed by Russia, they are funded by Russia.'
He added that Russia had 'deliberately and repeatedly violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and the new images of Russian forces inside Ukraine make that plain for the world to see.'
He insisted that the Russian tanks filmed rumbling through Ukraine are merely 'a continuation of what's been taking place for months now.'
Footage has emerged of what is believed to be a Russian tank in the Ukraine

Footage has emerged of what is believed to be a Russian tank in the Ukraine
The UN said overwhelming evidence suggested Russia had sent troops to fight alongside separatists in Ukraine
The UN said overwhelming evidence suggested Russia had sent troops to fight alongside separatists in Ukraine
The UN Security Council is to hold an emergency meeting today as overwhelming evidence suggested Russia had sent troops to fight alongside separatists in Ukraine. Pictured is a pro-Russian rebel in a market damaged by shelling in Donetsk
The UN Security Council is to hold an emergency meeting today as overwhelming evidence suggested Russia had sent troops to fight alongside separatists in Ukraine. Pictured is a pro-Russian rebel in a market damaged by shelling in Donetsk
Carnage: A Pro-Russian rebel passes by a car which was hit by shrapnel from a shell in Donetsk
Carnage: A Pro-Russian rebel passes by a car which was hit by shrapnel from a shell in Donetsk
Fear factor: Women rush across the street after shelling in the town of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine
Fear factor: Women rush across the street after shelling in the town of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine
Ukraine's president Petro Poroshenko today accused Russia of sending troops into the country as he abruptly cancelled a trip to Turkey to meet his top security officials 
Ukraine's president Petro Poroshenko today accused Russia of sending troops into the country as he abruptly cancelled a trip to Turkey to meet his top security officials 
Ukraine's president Petro Poroshenko today accused Russia of sending troops into the country as he abruptly cancelled a trip to Turkey to meet his top security officials.
The Kiev leader, who changed his plans shortly before leaving Kiev's Boryskil airport, had demanded an urgent meeting of the UN security council as one senior aide called on him to impose martial law. 
Diplomats have now said the meeting was due to take place today at the request of Lithuania. 
Echoing comments by Ukrainian Colonel Andriy Lysenko, a senior NATO official said at least 1,000 Russian troops have poured into Ukraine with sophisticated equipment, leaving no doubt that the Russian military had invaded southeastern Ukraine.
A handout photo provided by DigitalGlobe via NATO allegedly shows six Russian 153mm 2S19 self-propelled guns located in Russia near Kuybyshevo, four miles south of the Ukraine border
A handout photo provided by DigitalGlobe via NATO allegedly shows six Russian 153mm 2S19 self-propelled guns located in Russia near Kuybyshevo, four miles south of the Ukraine border
A satellite image provided to Reuters by Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe today, and taken by DigitalGlobe last week, shows what is reported by SHAPE to be Russian Self-Propelled Artillery in Ukraine
A satellite image provided to Reuters by Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe today, and taken by DigitalGlobe last week, shows what is reported by SHAPE to be Russian Self-Propelled Artillery in Ukraine
'The hand from behind is becoming more and more overt now,' Brig. Gen. Nico Tak said at NATO's military headquarters, adding that Russia's ultimate aim was to stave off defeat for the separatists and turn eastern Ukraine into a 'frozen conflict' that would destabilize the country indefinitely.
Politicians have been careful to refer to the conflict as an 'incursion' by Russia, rather than an invasion - prompting frustrated officials to vent their anger online at what they see as pointless diplomacy.
'An invasion is an invasion is an invasion,' tweeted the Lithuanian ambassador to the U.N., Raimonda Murmokaite.
And Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, said on Facebook: 'The invasion of Putin's regular Russian army of Ukraine is now an established fact!' 
French volunteers, supporters of Pro-Russian rebels, patrolling the streets of central Donetsk 
French volunteers, supporters of Pro-Russian rebels, patrolling the streets of central Donetsk 
A Pro-Russian separatist walks past a destroyed tank at Savur-Mohyla, a hill east of the city of Donetsk
A Pro-Russian separatist walks past a destroyed tank at Savur-Mohyla, a hill east of the city of Donetsk
A woman walks past the dead body of a man lying in the street after being shot in Donetsk, Ukraine 
A woman walks past the dead body of a man lying in the street after being shot in Donetsk, Ukraine 
And UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant told reporters that 'Russia will be asked to explain why Russia has its troops inside Ukraine. It's very clear that Russian regular troops are now in Ukraine.' 
It came as troops jostled for strategically important positions in the south-east of the country, amid fears that violent clashes could erupt at any moment. 
'The Russian Federation's troops have entered Ukraine,' said Poroshenko less than two days after shaking hands with Vladimir Putin on a peace roadmap. 
'The world must give an assessment of the sharp aggravation of the situation in Ukraine,' he said.
'I have taken the decision to cancel the visit to Turkey due to the sharp deterioration of the situation in the Donetsk region, particularly in Amvrosiyivka and Starobesheve, as Russian troops have been sent into Ukraine.'
Residents of Donetsk have been subjected to months of fighting  between pro-Russians and Ukrainian troops
Residents of Donetsk have been subjected to months of fighting between pro-Russians and Ukrainian troops
A woman picks though the ruins of her house in Donetsk after more fighting in the eastern city
A woman picks though the ruins of her house in Donetsk after more fighting in the eastern city
A Youth Culture Center building burned to the ground in Donetsk after being hit by pro-Russian rebel shelling
A Youth Culture Center building burned to the ground in Donetsk after being hit by pro-Russian rebel shelling
A Ukrainian walks among the ruin of Youth Culture Center building that hit by pro Russian separatists
A Ukrainian walks among the ruin of Youth Culture Center building that hit by pro Russian separatists
Poroshenko urgently summoned a meeting of his National Security and Defence Council.
'The place for the president today is in Kiev,' said Poroshenko, who was due to attend the inauguration of Turkey's president elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Senior Interior Ministry adviser Anton Heraschenko warned: 'The incursion of Putin's Russian Federation regular army into Ukraine is an accomplished fact.'
He claimed there was a need for martial law in Ukraine and urged EU countries to halt buying Russian oil, gas, timber and other natural resources, and also to discontinue granting of any credits, and freeze Russian state companies' assets in the EU.
A senior UK Government source told MailOnline: 'We are extremely concerned about the situation there [in Ukraine]. There seems to be mounting evidence that Russia is carrying out large scale incursion into South and East Ukraine.' 
Even the schools in Donetsk have been left badly damaged after shelling in Donetsk 
Even the schools in Donetsk have been left badly damaged after shelling in Donetsk 
A woman cleans the debris of broken windows in her apartment in the Kievski neighbourhood in northern Donetsk on Thursday
A woman cleans the debris of broken windows in her apartment in the Kievski neighbourhood in northern Donetsk on Thursday
Workers try to repair the gate of a bakery damaged during shelling in the Kievski neighbourhood in northern Donetsk on Thursday
Workers try to repair the gate of a bakery damaged during shelling in the Kievski neighbourhood in northern Donetsk on Thursday
Pro-Russian rebels (pictured) are fighting Ukranian forces in the east of the country, while rumours circulate that Russian solders have crossed the border to fight with them
Pro-Russian rebels (pictured) are fighting Ukranian forces in the east of the country, while rumours circulate that Russian solders have crossed the border to fight with them
Ukraine's security and defence council today said the border town of Novoazovsk and other parts of Ukraine's south-east had fallen under the control of Russian forces who together with rebels were staging a counter-offensive. 
It said Ukrainian government forces had withdrawn from Novoazovsk 'to save their lives' and were now reinforcing troops in the port city of Mariupol.
It added that Russian forces and separatists were combining to launch a counter-offensive on Ilovaysk and Shakhtarsk, east of the city of Donetsk. 
A Ukraine security spokesman has also said two columns of tanks from Russia have entered a strategic town.
Ukrainian security council spokesman Col. Andriy Lysenko says Ukrainian forces were fired upon with Grad missile systems from Russian territory at about 11am.
Lysenko says about an hour and a half later, two columns, including tanks and other fighting vehicles began an attack. 
Residents stand near a damaged building with broken windows in the Kievski neighbourhood in northern Donetsk
Residents stand near a damaged building with broken windows in the Kievski neighbourhood in northern Donetsk
A blown up railway-bridge blocking the road between Charkov and Donetsk, in Ukraine
A blown up railway-bridge blocking the road between Charkov and Donetsk, in Ukraine
Smoke covers the centre of rebel-held Donetsk after a hospital and school were damaged in recent shelling
Smoke covers the centre of rebel-held Donetsk after a hospital and school were damaged in recent shelling
Bystanders watch a fire consuming a school in downtown Donetsk on Thursday after being hit by shelling
Bystanders watch a fire consuming a school in downtown Donetsk on Thursday after being hit by shelling
They later entered Ukraine from Veselo-Voznesenka and Maximovo of the Rostov region in Russia.
Ukrainian border guards retreated because they didn't have heavy equipment. 

PUTIN SHUNS TRADITIONAL GREETING IN MINSK OVER POISONING FEAR 

Vladimir Putin suddenly shunned a traditional greeting of bread and salt on his recent visit to Minsk because he feared assassination by poisoning, it has been claimed.
Other dignitaries arriving in Belarus were given the traditional Slavic welcome as they stepped off their planes, but Putin's security staff at the last minute insisted he would not partake.
Major privately-run Minsk news agency Belapan claimed unnamed sources had 'suggested that the ceremony had been cancelled because of Mr. Putin's fear of assassination by poisoning and his mistrust of Belarusian security services'. 
The presidents of Ukraine and Kazakhstan, Petro Poroshenko and Nursultan Nazarbayev, both took the bread and dipped it in the salt, offered to them by women in traditional dress, according to custom, as did Britain's Catherine Ashton, the EU's senior foreign affairs official.
Mystery deepened because airport sources said that 'the treat for the Russian president has been prepared and was checked by the security service'. 
A top NATO official said at least 1,000 Russian troops had entered Ukraine with sophisticated equipment and have been in direct 'contact' with Ukrainian soldiers, resulting in casualties. 
He called that a conservative estimate and said another 20,000 Russian troops were right over the Russian border. 
Meanwhile, Russian-backed separatists have taken the strategic high point of Savur-Mohyla in eastern Ukraine, which looks out over wide areas of the region, a Ukrainian military source said today. 
Asked by Reuters if the rebels had captured Savur-Mohyla, east of Donetsk, the source replied: 'Yes. We have such information.' 
Rebel advances this week have opened a new front in the conflict just as Ukraine's army appeared to have gained the upper hand, virtually encircling the separatists in their main strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk.  
Ukraine has now called for urgent and 'large-scale' military assistance from EU countries.
EU leaders must decide on 'further resolute significant sanctions and large-scale military and technical assistance to Ukraine in order to stop the aggressor', said ambassador to Brussels Kostiantyn Yelisieiev. 
The EU said today it was 'extremely concerned' at reports of Russian troops on the ground in Ukraine.
Ukraine premier Arseniy Yatsenyuk has demanded the West block all Russia's financial assets and banking operations until it withdraws the troops it allegedly moved into his country.
'The sanctions introduced have not brought any results,' he warned.
A relative (centre) of a Ukrainian soldier is helped as she is about to faint during a protest rally in front of the Ukrainian defense ministry building in Kiev on Thursday
A relative (centre) of a Ukrainian soldier is helped as she is about to faint during a protest rally in front of the Ukrainian defense ministry building in Kiev on Thursday
Protesters are demanding help for the volunteer battalions of Donbass, Mirotvorets, Kherson and Dnipro-1 surrounded by pro-Russian militants for the fifth day in the small city of Izvaryne
Protesters are demanding help for the volunteer battalions of Donbass, Mirotvorets, Kherson and Dnipro-1 surrounded by pro-Russian militants for the fifth day in the small city of Izvaryne
A protester holds a placard declaring 'Enough, surrender the Ukraine!' during the rally in front of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry in Kiev
A protester holds a placard declaring 'Enough, surrender the Ukraine!' during the rally in front of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry in Kiev
'In this situation, one of the possible elements to deter Russian aggression must be considering imposing sanctions on freezing all Russian assets and suspending all Russian bank transactions in European Union member states, the United States and G7 countries.'
Prominent Ukrainian female politician Yulia Tymoshenko demanded the imposition of martial law.
The ex-premier - jailed under the regime of former president Viktor Yanukovych - declared: 'The Russian army invaded Ukrainian territory at night. 
'We cannot bury our heads in the sand any longer and describe everything going on in eastern Ukraine as terror actions by unknown separatists.' 
She called for an appeal for effective military assistance from the West. 
US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt today warned that an increasing number of Russian troops and ultra-modern equipment are directly involved in fighting inside Ukraine
US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt today warned that an increasing number of Russian troops and ultra-modern equipment are directly involved in fighting inside Ukraine
Russia's defence ministry declined to comment on reports of Russian tanks in Novoazovsk. A Russian diplomatic source said: 'The Russian authorities clearly said many times there are no regular Russian troops there. Russia is not taking part in this armed conflict.'
But a member of President Vladimir Putin's advisory council on human rights, Ella Polyakova, told Reuters she believed Russia was carrying out an invasion of Ukraine.
'When masses of people, under commanders' orders, on tanks, APCs and with the use of heavy weapons, (are) on the territory of another country, cross the border, I consider this an invasion,' Polyakova told Reuters.
The US meanwhile has also warned today that an increasing number of Russian troops and ultra-modern equipment are directly involved in fighting inside Ukraine. 
The warning came as a separatist leader revealed Russian soldiers, on leave from their posts, were fighting against Ukrainian troops alongside the rebels.
The US also warned that an increasing number of Russian troops and ultra-modern equipment were directly involved in fighting inside Ukraine.
Moscow's earlier intervention with tanks, armoured vehicles and multiple rocket launchers was 'insufficient to defeat Ukraine's armed forces', said US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt. 
'So now an increasing number of Russian troops are intervening directly in fighting on Ukrainian territory. 
Pro-Russian separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko has reportedly said serving Russian soldiers, on leave from their posts, were fighting Ukrainian troops alongside the rebels
Pro-Russian separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko has reportedly said serving Russian soldiers, on leave from their posts, were fighting Ukrainian troops alongside the rebels
'Russia has also sent its newest air defence systems including the SA-22 into eastern Ukraine and is now directly involved in the fighting.'
The claims follow German Chancellor Angela Merkel challenging Vladimir Putin on the presence of Russian forces inside Ukraine.
The Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council has also accused the Russian army of transferring military equipment and personnel to border regions, and from there across the frontier.
Russian state television meanwhile has reported that East Ukrainian pro-Russian separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko has said serving Russian soldiers, on leave from their posts, were fighting Ukrainian troops alongside the rebels.
A column of Ukrainian tanks, heavy weapons and trucks were pictured massing near the town of Mariupol on Wednesday after reports Russian armoured vehicles crossed the border
A column of Ukrainian tanks, heavy weapons and trucks were pictured massing near the town of Mariupol on Wednesday after reports Russian armoured vehicles crossed the border
Ukrainian soldiers towing a heavy artillery gun rest outside Mariupol, a short distance from the town of Novoazovsk that Pro-Moscow separatists began shelling on Wednesday
Ukrainian soldiers towing a heavy artillery gun rest outside Mariupol, a short distance from the town of Novoazovsk that Pro-Moscow separatists began shelling on Wednesday
'Among us are fighting serving soldiers, who would rather take their vacation not on a beach but with us, among brothers, who are fighting for their freedom,' said Zakharchenko in an interview posted on Vesti.ru, the Internet site of a Russian state television station. 
French President Francois Hollande today said that it would be 'intolerable and unacceptable' if it was proved true that Russian troops had entered Ukrainian territory. 
'Europe will maintain (sanctions), even increase them if the escalation increases. I don't want it because it is neither in Russia's nor our interest,' Hollande told an annual conference of French diplomats in Paris.
'Russia cannot hope to be a 21st century power yet not respect the rules.'   

UKRAINE BLOCKS EXTRADITION OF BRITISH-EDUCATED MAN ACCUSED OF PLOTTING TO KILL VLADIMIR PUTIN 

By WILL STEWART FOR MAILONLINE 
Adam Osmayev, 33, formerly a student of Buckingham University, was detained two years ago in Odessa after an alleged botched training exercise saw a suspect killed by a homemade bomb
Adam Osmayev, 33, formerly a student of Buckingham University, was detained two years ago in Odessa after an alleged botched training exercise saw a suspect killed by a homemade bomb
Ukraine has blocked the extradition to Russia of a British-educated man accused of plotting to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin, it was revealed today .
Adam Osmayev, 33, formerly a student of Buckingham University, was detained two years ago in Odessa after an alleged botched training exercise saw a suspect killed by a homemade bomb.
An ethnic Chechen from a wealthy family, he claimed he was framed by the secret services in Russia and under the regime of ex-president Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine.
The FSB - Russian secret services - believe he is a radical Islamist and claimed he 'lived in London for a long time' but it is understood he did not complete his university course in Britain.
The alleged plot to assassinate Putin by blowing up his car in central Moscow was revealed during the strongman's election campaign in 2012, prompting claims that the case against him was exaggerated and the arrests were politically motivated.
Osmayev's lawyer Olha Chertok said the Ukrainian Prosecutor General had decided against extraditing him to Russia, where he could face up to 25 years in jail, pending further investigations into the case.
The decision comes amid a breakdown in relations between former allies Russia and Ukraine.
Osmayev's alleged accomplice, Ilya Pyanzin, was extradited to Russia in August 2012. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in September 2013.
The former Buckingham University student was in 2012 put under investigation in Ukraine for 'establishment of a terrorist organization' and 'preparations for a terrorist attack'.
A Ukrainian court had upheld his extradition but his lawyers filed an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
Osmayev retracted an earlier 'confession' on the Putin plot, claiming he had been physically and psychologically abused by the ex-KGB in Kiev.
Ukrainian secret services agents during Yanukovych's era repeatedly struck him and covered his head in a plastic bag, he claimed.
He alleged they injected him with drugs and threatened him with further torture unless he confessed to a plot to kill both Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
His confession was 'the result of physical and psychological pressure which the law enforcement services put me under since the moment I was detained,' he said.
He was beaten so badly, he could not stand for two months, he claimed. 

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