U.S. Says Russia re-Deploying Forces near Ukraine Border, Hits Separatists with Sanctions

Russia has re-deployed "significant" military forces near its border with Ukraine and stockpiled additional tanks and artillery at a southwestern site, a U.S. official said Friday.

Washington had information that the equipment and forces were being prepared by Moscow "to provide active support for separatist fighters," a senior U.S. administration official said.

The U.S. was "confident" that Moscow last week sent tanks and rocket launchers from the deployment site in southwest Russia into eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian separatists are fighting to break away Kiev, the official said, asking not to be named.

U.S. officials have information that "additional tanks... and artillery have been accumulated" at the same site, adding they were of the same type as materiel used by Ukrainian forces which are trying to quell the offensive.

The news came as Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko released a sweeping peace plan for curbing the pro-Russian uprising in the separatist east that is threatening the ex-Soviet country's survival.

The 14-point initiative came after two calls made by Poroshenko to Russian strongman Vladimir Putin within 72 hours in the belief that no truce could work without his support.

Most of the equipment being gathered in southwest Russia is no longer in use by Russian forces "and we believe that Russia may soon provide this equipment to separatists," the U.S. official said.

As the equipment is still used by Ukrainian forces, the aim appears to be "to mask Russia's hand" in supporting the separatists.

"Separately we have information that Russia has re-deployed significant military to its border with Ukraine," the official said, adding it was believed more forces were due to arrive in coming weeks.

Some of the troops were "within a handful of kilometers" of Ukrainian territory, "the closest they have been since the invasion of Crimea" earlier this year.

Later on Friday, the U.S. Treasury Department blacklisted seven Ukraine separatists, saying their activities threaten the peace and sovereignty of the country.

Topping the list was Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, the rebel leader in the eastern separatist stronghold of Slavyansk whose group kidnapped observers from the European security body OSCE in May and continues to hold them.

Also on the list were Denis Pushilin, a leader of the "Donetsk People's Republic" separatist group; Andrey Purgin and Igor Girkin, other Donetsk separatist leaders; Valery Bolotov, a Luhansk region separatist; Russian admiral Sergei Menyailo, the acting governor of Sevastopol in breakaway Crimea; and Valery Kaurov, who describes himself as the "president of Novorossiya," the separatist name for southeast Ukraine.

"These individuals have all contributed to attempts to illegally undermine the legitimate government in Kiev, notably by falsely proclaiming leadership positions and fomenting violent unrest," the Treasury said in a statement.

The listing of the seven under the Treasury sanctions freezes any assets they might have in U.S. jurisdictions and forbids Americans from any transactions with them.

The United States also warned Friday that it would not accept any use of Russian military forces in eastern Ukraine, amid reports they could be used to protect pro-Moscow civilians in the country.

"We are monitoring the situation carefully. We will not accept the use, under any pretext, of any Russian military forces in eastern Ukraine," said Josh Earnest, a White House spokesman.

"Reports from Moscow that the Russian defense ministry is considering creating military cordons in eastern Ukraine are also troubling," Earnest said.

"We do not see any evidence that the Russian military units arriving to the region are connected to any type of border security mission."

A Russian defense ministry source told RBK news agency this week that troops were prepared to enter Ukraine's insurgent regions in order to "put up barriers between the civilian population and the Ukrainian army."

The Kremlin said on Friday that it had sent new troops to the Ukraine border to shore up security there.