Ukraine Alarmed by Russian Buildup as People Flee Luhansk
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Ukraine expressed alarm about a new buildup of Russian forces on its border as it pursued an offensive against pro-Moscow separatists. Half the residents of the city of Luhansk fled as the fighting got closer.
Russia, which annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March, has deployed 45,000 soldiers, 160 tanks and as many as 1,360 armored vehicles, a Ukrainian military spokesman, Andriy Lysenko, told reporters in Kiev today. There are also 192 Russian warplanes and 137 military helicopters, as well as artillery systems and multiple rocket launchers, he said.