Western leaders allege Russia sending troops to eastern Ukraine

Tetyana Tomenko, a local resident, cries standing in front of her damaged house after alleged shelling by separatist forces in Novognativka, eastern Ukraine (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)

Western leaders said Russian troops have moved into rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin recognised their independence – but some indicated it was not yet the long-feared fully fledged invasion as confusion reigned in the region.

For weeks, Western powers have been bracing for an invasion as Russia massed an estimated 150,000 troops on three sides of neighbouring Ukraine.