The Ukrainian military said yesterday that more Russian soldiers had crossed the border into eastern Ukraine, entering the small town of Amvrosiyivka in five armoured infantry carriers and a truck.

A town in east Ukraine has come under shellfire by pro-Russian rebels amid fears they are launching a counter-offensive on government-held parts of the region.

A bitterly cold winter storm gripped parts of Europe today, leaving at least three sailors dead after a ship sank and thousands of travellers stranded at airports, on snowy mountain roads and in remote villages.

A SEVERE storm broke a small Russian oil tanker in two off the Ukrainian port of Kerch yesterday, spilling up to 2,000 tonnes of fuel oil in what a Russian official said was an “environmental disaster”.

At least 10 people were killed when a fire swept through a Siberia nursing home today.