Ukraine: Photos show undercover Russian troops

Philip Breedlove wrote on the alliance's blog that what pro-Russian groups have described as an
organic uprising is in reality a "well-planned and organized" military operation orchestrated by
Moscow.
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Officials who brokered the deal in Geneva said they hoped it would ease tensions. One told CNN he
had come up from Crimea. "It has to be solved through diplomacy."
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Amateur video from the scene shows masked, armed men escorting the local police chief to a car
after seizing the building.
Residents told CNN that armed militants seized the police station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, late
Monday. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" on
Monday.
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Biden visits Kiev
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Slaviansk, Ukraine (CNN) -- Do a series of photos of gun-toting men wearing green uniforms prove
Russian forces are operating in eastern Ukraine?
The monitors were called for in the agreement among Russia, the United States and the European
Union last week that was meant to reduce tensions in the region, which while part of Ukraine has
long looked toward Russia for cultural and economic ties.
On the streets of Kiev, ordinary citizens said they know there's only so much the United States can
do. Among fellow members of NATO, Poland has expressed particular concern about Russian plans
in Ukraine.
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International monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe met Monday
with pro-Russian leaders in Slaviansk, but no breakthroughs were reported.
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The images, Ukrainian officials say, prove organized Russian activity in the region.
The video, in addition to the photos released by Ukrainian officials, seemed to show that at least
some forces in Ukraine show no sign of backing down.
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Moscow has disavowed involvement in the takeover of government buildings in eastern Ukraine or
other acts by often-masked pro-Russian gunmen.
Last week, Ukrainian security officials told CNN they had arrested a Russian military officer and a
woman Ukrainian officials said is a Russian intelligence agent.
It won't take sending weapons, Rhodes said, to send a message to Russia.
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"But we also believe that there has been some progress. can give us some military help," one
Ukrainian said.
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Ukraine claims photographs show Russian troops in eastern Ukraine
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Another shows gunmen photographed occupying administrative buildings in Slaviansk who appear
similar to men pictured in what Ukrainian officials described as a "family photo" of a Russian
sabotage and reconnaissance unit.
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"We've signaled how we can escalate our sanctions," he said. Some said they'd like to see the U.S.
"In the long run, if Russia runs this play, they're going to lose a lot."
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CNN has heard Russian accents among the "men in green," as they are known, well armed and
uniformed groups who have appeared in towns like Slaviansk and Kramatorsk. ambassador to
Ukraine, told CNN's Candy Crowley on Sunday that he has seen progress. officials have ruled out
the possibility of deploying U.S. Maybe the U.S. Last week, NATO commander Gen. lawmakers have
argued that the United States should send weapons.
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Slaviansk's self-declared mayor, a former military man himself, says the explanation is simple: He
put out an appeal to his old comrades.
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"There has been broad unity in the international community about the connection between Russia
and some of the armed militants in eastern Ukraine, and the photos presented by the Ukrainians last
week only further confirm this, which is why U.S. But CNN has not seen any evidence that these
men are operating under orders from the Kremlin.
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Ukraine provided the photos to those observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe, according to the briefing dossier obtained by CNN's Elise Labott.
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In three towns, pro-Russian protesters and militants have made it clear to CNN they have no
intention of moving until the "illegal" government in Kiev also moves out of official buildings.
But the photos, accepted as genuine by the Obama administration, appeared to lend credence to
allegations by Ukrainian officials that Russian forces have been dispatched in eastern Ukraine to
provoke a military confrontation.
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HIDE CAPTION
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HIDE CAPTION
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It's likely to sit well with Ukrainian leaders struggling to keep their country going amid widespread
financial problems and a growing showdown with Russia over that country's annexation of Crimea
and troubles in Ukraine's pro-Russian east.
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Ukrainians maintain that Russian involvement in the east is widespread.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed those sentiments Monday, saying that Ukrainian
officials were not implementing the agreement negotiated in Geneva, Switzerland.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Geneva pact not being implemented
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"When I called on my friends, practically all of whom are ex military, they came to our rescue, not
only from Russia but also from Belarus, Kazakhstan and Moldova," he said.
The dossier shows what Ukrainian officials say are images of well-equipped gunmen in eastern
Ukraine who look similar to photographs of Russian forces taken in Crimea, Russia and during
Russia's 2008 invasion of Georgia.
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Geoffrey Pyatt, the U.S. The police station had been stormed on April 12 before being handed back
to local officials two days later.
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"I think we want consultations, but no American troops," another Ukrainian citizen told CNN.
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But others say that's too much, even with pro-Russian forces occupying government buildings in the
east and thousands of Russian troops massed along the Ukrainian border.
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Ukraine unrest
The question of whether Russia is involved in the unrest roiling eastern Ukraine is crucial as
European observers try to enforce an agreement reached last week to lower tensions in the region
by organizing the withdrawal of forces from government buildings and other facilities.
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If genuine, the photos also back up Western leaders who have claimed Russia's involvement. But
there were some signs Monday that tensions are mounting.
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"What has put Putin in the driver's seat over here is the fact that he controls oil and gas. "And that
would be something we could upset."
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Read: Pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine ignore new Geneva pact aimed at easing tensions
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One image shows a gunman with a long beard during an assault on a police station in Kramatorsk
who appears similar to a Russian special forces member photographed during the Russian invasion
of Georgia.
HIDE CAPTION
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Meanwhile, U.S. forces to Ukraine.
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Russia's Foreign Minister scoffed at the accusations, saying that Kiev and its patrons, the United
States and the European Union, are trying to blame his country for everything.
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"On the contrary, not a single step has been taken by those who have seized power in Kiev to
eliminate the reasons of this deep crisis inside Ukraine," he said.
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Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said last week that the United States, however, will continue its
beefed-up presence in Poland because of the crisis. Ed Royce said the United States needs to do
more to reduce Ukraine's reliance on natural gas and oil from Russia by exporting fuel there from
the United States.
The bundle includes new economic and energy aid as well as governance assistance, a senior
administration official told reporters in a background briefing Monday.
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NEW: Residents say armed militants seized the police station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine
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The government of acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov has talked tough but done little
to curb pro-Russian activities in the east, possibly afraid that a crackdown could send Russian forces
across the border. The occupation of buildings continued in about a dozen towns and cities across
eastern Ukraine.
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Crisis in Ukraine. "And the OSCE has monitors on the ground who are reaching out, engaging with
local political elites, seeing if there's a way to de-escalate the crisis."
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There is "no military solution" to the crisis, Pyatt said. He had just met with Ukrainian Foreign
Minister Andriy Deshchytsia and the ambassador who heads the OSCE's special monitoring mission,
along with his European Union and Russian counterparts.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen, Tim Lister, Elena Sandyrev, Phil Black, Alla Eshchenko, Elaine Ly and Lena
Kashkarova contributed to this report.
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http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/21/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/index.html
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But on Monday, he insisted there are no active duty Russian soldiers in his town.
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Natacha Rajakovic, deputy spokeswoman for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe, declined to comment on the images and referred questions to Ukrainian authorities.
Read: Opinion: Why Geneva accord on Ukraine is a tactical victory for Russia
Ukrainian officials point to the pictures in a dossier obtained Monday by CNN, arguing that the
images show Russian "sabotage-reconnaissance groups" acting in Ukrainian towns.
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U.S. I'm seeing reports this morning that at least one of these (occupied) government buildings now
has a Ukrainian flag flying over it," he said. officials have continued to make that case," State
Department spokesman Jen Psaki told CNN on Monday.
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Vice President Joe Biden delivers aid package in visit to Kiev
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CNN cannot independently confirm the photographs, some of which were first published in The New
York Times.
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The Defense Department is also sending some nonlethal aid to Ukrainian security forces, including
medical supplies, helmets, shelters and water purification equipment.
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Read: Opinion: How Ukraine crisis could pull U.S. He's got a monopoly on it," the California
Republican said. Vice President Joe Biden arrived Monday in Kiev to discuss the situation in eastern
Ukraine and deliver a new aid package aimed at shoring up the Ukrainian government.
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That wouldn't help the situation and might make it worse, U.S. to war
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Russia has said before that it holds no sway over pro-Russian protesters and militants.
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"Our army is very bad. send troops.
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
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"I think we all reaffirmed today in this setting our collective commitment to trying to make the
Geneva framework a success," he said on CNN's "State of the Union." "There are obviously some
real challenges at this point," including the violence in Slaviansk.
Diplomatic efforts
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Speaking to CNN from Kiev on Monday, Rep.
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But some U.S