Rebels in Donbas launch 'counterattack' against Ukraine forces: Russia

Moscow on Thursday announced that Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine had launched a "counterattack" against government forces.

The Russian military is providing fire support to the rebels in the Donbas region, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a press briefing in Moscow.

Konashenkov denied that Russia had carried out rocket, air, or artillery strikes on Ukrainian cities, and claimed that its military was not targeting units of Ukraine's army that laid down their arms.

"The positions of the AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine) units that have laid down their weapons are not subject to strikes, and only military infrastructure, air defense facilities, military airfields, and AFU aviation are disabled by high-precision weapons of the Russian armed forces.

"I would like to emphasize that the Russian Armed Forces do not strike at the cities of Ukraine. Nothing threatens the civilian population," he claimed, alleging that, according to reconnaissance data, "staged" footage "of 'mass casualties' among the civilian population of Ukraine" was being shot in Ukrainian cities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military intervention in Ukraine early Thursday, just days after recognizing two separatist-held enclaves in eastern Ukraine, drawing widespread international condemnation and announcements of tougher sanctions on Moscow.

The intervention followed a month-long buildup of some 100,000 troops around Ukraine, with Russia repeatedly denying any intent to launch an invasion.

There were also reports on Thursday of explosions in several Ukrainian provinces, including the capital Kyiv, and several military vehicles reportedly crossed the border from Belarus into Ukraine.