The U.S. stepped up pressure on Moscow on Sunday by releasing satellite images it says show that rockets have been fired from Russia into neighboring eastern Ukraine and that heavy artillery for pro-Russian separatists has crossed the border.
The images, which came from the U.S. Director of National Intelligence and could not be independently verified by The Associated Press, show blast marks where rockets were launched and craters where they landed. Officials said the images show heavy weapons fired between July 21 and July 26 — after the July 17 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 that killed all 298 onboard.
The four-page memo is part of
the Obama administration’s push to hold Russia accountable for its
activities in neighboring Ukraine, and the release could help to
persuade the United States’ European allies to apply harsher sanctions
on Russia.
The timing of the memo also
could be aimed at dissuading Russia from further military posturing. The
Pentagon said just days ago that the movement of Russian heavy-caliber
artillery systems across its border into Ukraine was “imminent.”
Moscow has angrily denied
allegations of Russia’s involvement in eastern Ukraine. Russia’s foreign
ministry over the weekend accused the U.S. of conducting “an
unrelenting campaign of slander against Russia, ever more relying on
open lies.”
U.S. Secretary of State John
Kerry spoke by phone Sunday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov,
urging him to stop the flow of heavy weapons and rocket and artillery
fire from Russia into Ukraine, said a State Department official. Kerry
did not accept Lavrov’s denial that heavy weapons from Russia were
contributing to the conflict, said the official, who spoke on condition
of anonymity to provide details of the call.
There was no immediate comment
from Moscow. The White House had no separate comment on the release,
referring queries to the State Department.
The U.S. images claim to show
multiple rocket launchers fired at Ukrainian forces from within Ukraine
and from Russian soil. One image shows dozens of craters around a
Ukrainian military unit and rockets that can travel more than seven
miles (11 kilometers).
The memo said one image provides
evidence that Russian forces have “fired across the border at Ukrainian
military forces and that Russian-backed separatists have used heavy
artillery provided by Russia in attacks on Ukrainian forces from inside
Ukraine.”
Another satellite image depicted
in the memo shows “ground scarring at multiple rocket launch sites on
the Russian side of the border oriented in the direction of Ukraine
military units within Ukraine.”
“The wide areas of impact near the Ukrainian military units indicates fire from multiple rocket launchers,” the memo said.
Moreover, the memo included a
satellite image that it called evidence of self-propelled artillery only
found in Russian military units “on the Russian side of the border
oriented in the direction of a Ukrainian military unit within Ukraine.”
Separately, The New York Times
reported Sunday that defense and intelligence officials were working on a
plan that would enable the Obama administration to give Ukraine
specific locations of surface-to-air missiles controlled by
Russian-backed separatists. The plan, if implemented, would allow the
Ukraine government to target these missile sites for destruction, the
newspaper said.
Citing U.S. sources, the Times
said it was unclear if President Barack Obama would want to give Ukraine
the more precise information about military targets because it would
amount to America getting more involved in the conflict.
Tensions have run high in that
region since Russia seized Crimea in March and Washington has been
highly critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s behavior.
More recently, U.S. intelligence
officials have said they have what they call a solid circumstantial
case that Russian-backed separatists in Eastern Ukraine are responsible
for downing the Malaysia Airlines plane. Citing satellite imagery,
intercepted conversations and social media postings, officials say a
Russian-made SA-11 surface-to-air missile hit the plane on July 17.
Moscow denies any involvement in the attack.
U.S. officials said they still
don’t know who fired the missile or whether Russian military officers
were present when it happened. But until Sunday, they were unwilling to
share evidence that the separatists had the technology to down a plane.
(Associated Press)![]() |
US images: Russia has fired rockets into Ukraine |
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