Three T-64 tanks and other military vehicles crossed the border from Russia into Ukraine near the town of Snizhne on June 12, 2014.
On June 13, the US state department deputy spokesperson, Marie Harf, said it believed separatists in eastern Ukraine had "acquired heavy weapons and military equipment from Russia, including Russian tanks and multiple rocket launchers".
"Russia will claim these tanks were taken from Ukrainian forces, but no Ukrainian tank units have been operating in that area. We are confident that these tanks came from Russia."
