Kiev: 32 tanks enter Ukraine from Russia

A column of 32 tanks and other heavy weapons has entered Ukraine from Russia, the Ukrainian military says, after the latest fighting left five dead and at least 31 injured.

Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said a convoy made up of 32 tanks, 16 howitzer cannons and 30 trucks of troops and equipment crossed the border into the rebel-controlled Lugansk region on Thursday.

Another column including trucks and three mobile radar stations crossed another border point in the same region, he said on Friday.

Five Ukrainian soldiers were killed in fighting with pro-Russian rebels over the past 24 hours, the military said.

"Over the past day we lost five Ukrainian soldiers and 16 were wounded," military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said.