NATO Says Russian Convoy Invading Ukraine; Russia's Aggression Also Includes Artillery Fire

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine hit dangerous new heights today (August 22, 2014), as Russia sent an enormous "aid" convoy into rebel-held Ukrainian territory without the permission of the Kiev government -- a move that a top Ukrainian security official described as a "direct invasion." The maneuver came amid reports from NATO that Ukrainian troops were coming under Russian artillery fire from inside their borders, the Washington Post website reports.

"Russian artillery support -- both cross-border and from within Ukraine -- is being employed against the Ukrainian armed forces," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a statement accusing Moscow of a "blatant breach of Russia's international commitments" that would intensify a crisis he said it had helped to create and fuel.

"The disregard of international humanitarian principles raises further questions about whether the true purpose of the aid convoy is to support civilians or to resupply armed separatists," Rasmussen said. It was the strongest denunciation of Russia's role in Ukraine that NATO has issued and the first time the alliance has accused Russian forces of firing artillery at the Ukrainian army from within Ukraine.

The charges coincide with Russia's decision to move a convoy of more than 200 trucks into Ukraine today without either Ukrainian government permission or the participation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).