Ukraine Ready to Inspect Disputed Russian Convoy

Ukrainian officials were preparing to inspect a massive Russian "aid" convoy bound for the conflict-torn east on Friday after Russian armored vehicles crossed the border, fueling fears Moscow is trying to bolster the unraveling insurgency.

The Ukrainian military had announced that checks had begun on the near 300-truck convoy but later said only that 59 border and customs officials had arrived at a Russian border post to prepare to carry out the inspections.

Military spokesman Leonid Matyukhin told AFP that after the inspections the trucks would head to the rebel-held bastion of Lugansk, where local officials have warned of a humanitarian crisis with shortages of food, water and power.

"As for now the work by the Ukrainian officials has not begun as they do not yet have the documents from the Red Cross giving them permission," the military said in statement.

Ukraine and Western powers suspect that Moscow could try to use the convoy as a "Trojan horse" bringing military help to pro-Russian insurgents, who have been rapidly losing ground to government troops in the industrial east.

On Friday, Ukrainian authorities confirmed British media reports that a small number of Russian armored vehicles had crossed into Ukraine, not far from where the aid convoy was parked near the Russian town of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky.

"Intelligence has confirmed that a column of APCs and Ural military lorries has crossed the border and entered Ukrainian territory... intelligence also confirms that there were Russian number plates and insignia on the military hardware," the Interfax Ukraine news agency quoted the military as saying.

AFP journalists also saw a column of about a dozen troop carriers on the road heading to the Russian border post of Donetsk.

Ukraine and the West have often accused Moscow of sending armor across the border to help the pro-Kremlin separatists who launched an insurgency against Kiev in April, emboldened by Russia's annexation of Crimea in March.

But the rebellion was showing signs of unraveling after four months of fighting that has left more than 2,000 people dead including children and sent around 285,000 fleeing their homes.

The top rebel military chief Igor Strelkov and another key commander announced Thursday they were quitting after Ukraine's military said it had completely surrounded Lugansk, cutting all links to the border with Russia.

The death toll from the conflict continues to climb, with shelling in the main besieged rebel stronghold of Donetsk killing 11 civilians over the past 24 hours, local authorities said Friday.

Britain's The Daily Telegraph reported that it had "witnessed a column of vehicles including both armored personal carriers and soft-skinned lorries crossing into Ukraine".

The Guardian newspaper also said a column of 23 armored personnel carriers and other vehicles had crossed near the Russian border town of Donetsk.

Kiev is deeply suspicious about Russia's real intentions behind the aid mission.

But Moscow denies allegations it plans to send in troops or equipment to the rebels, and insists the operation was coordinated with the International Committee of the Red Cross.

On Thursday, the Russian foreign ministry called for all sides to accept an "urgent" ceasefire, saying the situation in the blighted east was "extremely serious".

Washington, while reiterating its support for Kiev, also urged its ally to exercise "restraint" and keep civilian casualties to a minimum after intense shelling in Lugansk and Donetsk left over 25 people dead.

"We call on the Ukrainians to take every step to avoid the local population as they try to free the city from the separatists," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters.

Ukraine's military said Friday that troops were pushing on with their offensive by retaking three small towns, while fierce clashes were also reported on the outskirts of Lugansk.

Russian media reports say the convoy of white-tarpaulin-covered trucks, which left the Moscow region on Tuesday, was carrying more than 1,800 tons of supplies including medical equipment, baby food, sleeping bags and electric generators.

It was unclear however when it might be allowed into Ukraine.

Kiev had initially said it would not allow the trucks to enter but later suggested the aid could come in if it was inspected by Ukrainian border guards and international monitors.

Ukraine has also dispatched its own aid convoys to the east -- 75 lorries with 800 tons of aid.

EU ministers expressed concern on Friday at reports of a Russian incursion into eastern Ukraine and threatened a vigorous response if Moscow failed to reverse course.

"I am very alarmed by the report," said British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond as he arrived for talks primarily to discuss the crisis in Iraq.

"If there are any Russian military personnel or vehicles in Ukraine they need to be withdrawn immediately or the consequences will be very serious," he said.

"We are deeply concerned by Russian behavior over the last months but also the last hours," said Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard.

"We think that the Russian authorities should be aware that both in the EU and the U.S. we have a very strong commitment to respond to any new aggression from Russia," he added.

The incursion was a "gross violation of international law," said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, adding that the situation in eastern Ukraine was "disastrous".

"Gangsterism" by pro-Moscow separatists was rampant, Bildt said.

"The so-called People's Republic of Donetsk and Lugansk no longer have people," he said in reference to the separatists.

Germany remained cautious on the reports, with Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier speaking only of "repeated difficulties" in the last hours.

Steinmeier said he welcomed news that Russia would allow the inspection of the truck convoy that many are worried is a pretext to supply fighting power to separatists.

"We are at the moment mainly concerned with the humanitarian convoy but actually the next step is about more: it's about what can be done to make the weapons fall silent," Steinmeier said.

Some four months of fighting have left over 2,000 people dead and forced some 285,000 to flee their homes.