Border guards clash with armed men from Russia; one severely wounded, vehicles seized (UPDATES)

One armed Russian was heavily wounded
as a result. Automatic Kalashnikov rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers
and explosives were found in the vehicles, stated the Border Guard Service’s
website.

At 3:30 a.m. on May 27, border guards noticed
a column of trucks, passenger cars and mini-vans approaching the Ukrainian
border near the town of Astakhov. A firefight erupted 10 minutes later when
the column “illegally” crossed the border. One group that crossed over fled under
the cover of fire in the direction of Antratsyt deeper into Luhansk Oblast.

However, in a conflicting news release issued on May 27 by Ukraine’s parliament, the remaining “terrorists” escaped to Russian territory. It stated that “five fighters were disarmed, and one was taken prisoner.”

Ukraine’s border guard service believes
the column was part of a larger group that was spotted near the Dmytrivka
border crossing in Donetsk Oblast. There, border guards spotted up to 40 Kamaz
trucks with armed people 10 kilometers from the border.

“Most likely a part of these vehicles
indeed (illegally) crossed the border at the Luhansk Oblast crossing,” said the
border guard statement.

It also said that the border service of
Russia’s Federal Security Service was told to take immediate measures to
prevent illegal border crossings from the Russian side. Ukrainian authorities
have stated that illegal border crossings with armed people from Russia have
become a daily occurrence. 

Additionally, parliament’s press service said that a “terrorist training center” was destroyed in a rural area of Luhansk Oblast around midnight. 

[Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include a press statement by the Verkhovna Rada, the nation’s legislative chamber.]

Kyiv
Post editor Mark Rachkevych can be reached at rachkevych@kyivpost.com.