Ukraine rebels open path for trapped army

Separatists to allow "humanitarian corridor " for
encircled troops after intervention by Russian
president .
Ukraine's pro - Moscow separatists have agreed to
let encircled Ukrainian government forces leave
the rebel - held areas following intervention
from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We are ready to give a humanitarian corridor, "
Alexander Zakharchenko , a rebel leader , told
Rossiya 24 TV on Friday , adding that troops
would have to leave their heavy armoured
vehicles and ammunition .
The move came hours after Putin issued a
statement published on the Kremlin ' s website
overnight on Thursday , urging the separatists to
"avoid unnecessary casualties ".
"I call on the rebel forces to open a
humanitarian corridor for the Ukrainian troops
who are surrounded , so as to avoid unnecessary
casualties and to give them the opportunity to
withdraw from the zone of operations, " said
Putin.
The Ukrainian military said in a statement
published on Friday that Putin' s call testified to
only one thing - " these people (separatists ) are
led and controlled directly from the Kremlin ".
According to the rebels , up to 7 , 000 Ukrainian
troops are trapped at several locations in the
Donbass region .
Ukraine said on Thursday that the rebels had
captured Novoazovsk with the help of Russian
troops who had crossed over into Ukraine in "up
to 100 " tanks along with heavy weaponry .
Russia dismissed the allegations , describing the
fighters as "Russian volunteers ".
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied arming and
supporting the separatists who have been battling
Ukrainian troops for four months in the gravest
crisis between Russia and the West since the end
of the Cold War .
Satellite photos
NATO said on Thursday that at least 1 , 000
Russian troops were in Ukraine and later
released what it said were satellite photos of
Russian self -propelled artillery units moving last
week.
Two columns of tanks and other equipment
entered southeastern Ukraine at midday ,
following heavy shelling of the area from Russia
that forced overmatched Ukrainian border
guards to flee, said Colonel Andriy Lysenko , a
spokesman for Ukraine's national security
council .
"Russian forces have entered Ukraine, " President
Petro Poroshenko said in Kiev , cancelling a
foreign trip and calling an emergency meeting of
his security council .
Poroshenko urged Ukrainians to remain calm.
"Destabilisation of the situation and panic , this
is as much of a weapon of the enemy as
tanks, " he told the council .
Obama condemnation
US President Barack Obama spoke with German
Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday , with both
leaders agreeing that Russia must face
consequences for its actions.
"We agree - if there was ever any doubt - that
Russia is responsible for the violence in eastern
Ukraine, " Obama said .
"The violence is encouraged by Russia . The
separatists are trained by Russia , they are
armed by Russia , they are funded by Russia. "
He added that Russia "has deliberately and
repeatedly violated the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Ukraine, and the new
images of Russian forces inside Ukraine make
that plain for the world to see ".
But Obama ruled out a military confrontation
between the US and Russia .