Ukraine Detects Arrival of Russian Vehicles with Supplies for Rebels; 'Cyber War' Against West Looms

Ukraine has detected new arrivals of Russian supplies to pro-Russian rebels. Five columns of heavy equipment were spotted crossing the border last Nov. 24. The latest accusation comes after the Ukrainian government suspended credit card operations and ATMs in rebel-held territory in the hope of driving locals to turn on the rebels.

As the Ukraine crisis continues, one Ukrainian soldier said one of his comrades in arms was killed with five others injured in the last 24 hours despite a fragile ceasefire threatening to break under pressure. According to Reuters, a Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson claimed that Russia continues to "provide the terrorist organisations of Donetsk and Luhansk" with heavy artillery. Evhen Perebyinis told reporters that a total of 85 vehicles have been spotted entering the Izvaryne border coming from Russia. He said six of the vehicles were heavy armored transporters while the rest of the vehicles carried "fighters and ammunition." Kiev and its Western allies believe there was solid proof that Russia was backing the separatists.

However, Russia has repeatedly denied sending troops and weapons to support separatists who are trying to seize parts of eastern Ukraine and join Russia in the future. Perebyinis said a significant amount of goods such as fuel, ammunition and other military supplies were being carried by the vehicles without authorisation from the Ukrainian government.

Perebyinis also repeated an earlier accusation to reporters that Ukraine was the recipient of artillery fire from the Russian Federation close to the Kamishine village near the rebel-held territory of Luhansk. He described the artillery fire as an "outright aggression" against Ukraine and once again called on Russia to pull out its troops and military equipment.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities have pulled out funding for all state services in rebel-controlled territory in a new strategy to restrict the separatists and urge the people to turn against them. In a report by the Daily Mail, the central bank of Ukraine ordered all banks in identified areas to suspend operations to isolate the rebels. The latest move followed the order of President Petro Poroshenko on Nov. 14 to stop all social services in towns held by insurgents.

Fears of a new Cold War rising continue to be a hot topic as a recent surge of reports about Russia's increased electronic espionage activity spark concerns of a cyberwar against the West. Andrei Soldatov, a leading expert on Russia's domestic security services, believes the wave of cyber attacks suggests that Moscow may be preparing for a covert Internet offensive, SP Times reported.