BRUSSELS (AP) – NATO’s top commander in Europe says the alliance has detected the presence of key Russian military equipment in eastern Ukraine that, in the past, has accompanied large inflows of Russian troops.
Gen. Philip Breedlove told a news conference Thursday in Brussels that Russian electronic warfare and air defense systems have been observed in eastern Ukraine. He said he couldn’t confirm Ukrainian authorities’ reports that 9,000 Russian troops have entered the country. But on two past occasions, Breedlove said, the presence of the hardware coincided with Russian military incursions into Ukraine.
Breedlove said, “We see the same types of equipment, etc., in eastern Ukraine now.”
The U.S. Air Force general spoke after a two-day meeting of top military commanders from NATO’s 28 member nations.