Ukraine crisis: 'Thousands of Russians' fighting in east
Ukraine crisis: 'Thousands of Russians' fighting in east
Pro-Russian rebels enter the strategically-vital port of Novoazovsk on Wednesday
A pro-Russian rebel leader in eastern Ukraine has said 3-4,000 Russian citizens are fighting in their ranks.
Alexander Zakharchenko told Russian TV many of the Russians were former servicepeople or current personnel on leave.
He was speaking as rebels threatened to take the key port of Mariupol, after opening a new front in the south-east.
Reports say they have captured the town of Novoazovsk and are advancing on the port.
Ukraine says Russian forces have crossed the border and are supporting the rebel attack, but Moscow has repeatedly denied arming or covertly supporting the rebels.
There are suspicions that Russia wants to divert Ukrainian forces from the besieged cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, further north.
Government forces have made significant advances against the separatists in recent weeks.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has demanded an explanation from Russia's President Vladimir Putin amid the reports of an incursion.
And French President Francois Hollande said it would be "intolerable" if Russian troops were in Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces 'leaving'
Mr Zakharchenko, who is prime minister of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, said Russian citizens were coming to Ukraine to fight because they felt it was their duty.
"There have been around 3,000-4,000 of them in our ranks," he said, adding that the rebels' struggle would have been much harder without them.
But he insisted that any Russians fighting on the rebel side were doing so voluntarily.
"Many former high-ranking military officers have volunteered to join us. They are fighting with us, considering that to be their duty," he said.
"There are also many in the current Russian military that prefer to spend their leave among us, brothers who are fighting for their freedom, rather than on a beach."
Reports from journalists and military on the ground say that Novoazovsk has been captured by the rebels.
"The guys from the east shot the positions of the Ukrainian army and the army left Novoazovsk," freelance journalist Petr Shelomovsky told the BBC.
"Since the morning, they've been leaving the town and we've probably seen the last armoured personnel carrier leaving the place."
There has been shelling in the town of Novoazovsk for several days
Ukrainian forces are being deployed to help defend the southern city of Mariupol
Shelling is continuing in the city of Donetsk hitting buildings including this school
Railway lines in eastern Ukraine have been destroyed in the fighting
A Ukrainian company commander, Vladimir Shilov, told Ukrainian TV that he had heard from sources inside the town that it was blocked by tanks and no-one was allowed to leave. Local officials had already fled to Mariupol, he added.
A spokesman for the rebels told Interfax news agency that Novoazovsk was under their control and they would soon "liberate" Mariupol.
Reports on Twitter suggested the rebels were already advancing towards Mariupol, and rebels said they had captured checkpoints to the west of the city.
The port has until now been peaceful and cut off from rebel positions.
Rebels have been trying for weeks to break out of an area further north in the Donetsk region where they are almost encircled.
Analysts say the separatists could also be seeking a land link between Russia and Crimea, which also would give them control over the entire Sea of Azov.
Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in March.
In a phone call with the Russian president on Wednesday, Mrs Merkel said reports of a Russian military incursion into Ukrainian territory had to be cleared up, her spokesman said.
"The latest reports of the presence of Russian soldiers on Ukrainian territory must be explained," said Steffen Seibert.
And in a foreign policy speech on Thursday, Mr Hollande demanded that Russia stop sending aid to the rebels.
"If it is verified that Russian troops are present on Ukrainian soil, this would be intolerable," he said. bbc
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