Russian troops attempted to cross the border in eastern Ukraine on Monday to stage a new front in the war that has ravaged the region for months, according to the Kiev military.

The accusation comes a day before Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to hold talks in Minsk, Belarus to discuss a negotiated solution to end the conflict between Kiev and pro-Russia separatists in the region.

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Also attending the talks are leaders of Kazakhstan and Belarus and several top officials from the European Union.

Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council spokesperson Col. Andriy Lysenko said border troops intercepted a 12-military vehicle column in the border just outside Novoazovsk, a city located southeast of Azov Sea.

The 12-vehicle column, composed of two infantry vehicles and 10 tanks, attempted to transport Russian soldiers disguised as Donbass fighters, Lysenko said.

Donbass is a collective term used to refer to Luhansk and Donbass, two regions in eastern Ukraine that have been seized by pro-Russia separatists and declared independence from Kiev.

In the ensuing intercept, two tanks had been destroyed and several members of the group had been detained, Lysenko added.

While Ukrainian troops have continued its offensive in the Donbass region, Western allies waited to see whether Russia would intervene and assist the insurgents from being overpowered.

But Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed the allegations, saying that Moscow has been repeatedly blamed for such "incursions."

Referring to the talks on Tuesday, Lavrov called for a ceasefire and hoped the West would manage their expectations on the outcome of the Ukraine-Russia discussion.

Kiev and its Western allies have accused Russia of encouraging the conflict in the eastern region and providing separatists with arms and equipment.

Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations.

Last week, NATO said it had observed Russian artillery fired both from within Ukraine and across the border. Additionally, reporters from the Associated Press noted convoys carrying Russian weapons and fighters entered the Ukrainian border, the L.A. Times reported.

TagsUkraine, Russia, ukraine conflict, Petro Poroshenko, EU, NATO