Photographic evidence?

The U.S. State Department released satellite images of what it says is photographic evidence that the Russian military has fired across its border with Ukraine to strike Ukrainian military targets and that Russian-backed rebels have used heavy artillery provided by Russia to attack the Ukrainian military from within the country. On a call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he did not accept Lavrov's denial that heavy weapons from Russia were involved in the conflict. A Russian official told ITAR-TASS that the images, which were also posted on U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt's Twitter page, were fakes. Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the low-resolution images appearing on Twitter made it impossible to establish whether they were authentic.

Fire from Russia

This image shows what the State Department says is scarring on the ground from a multiple rocket launch site on the Russian side of the border, pointed in the direction of Ukrainian military units inside Ukraine on Friday and Saturday. The State Department said the wide area of impact near the Ukrainian military is evidence of fire from multiple rocket launchers.

Source: U.S. State Department

Long-range artillery

The State Department says this image taken Wednesday shows self-propelled artillery found only in Russian military units on the Russian side of the border pointed in the direction of a Ukrainian military unit on the other side of the border. The pattern of impact craters near the Ukrainians indicates strikes from self-propelled or towed artillery.

Source: U.S. State Department

Before and after

This image shows greater detail of the purported artillery attack on Ukrainian forces, comparing images from Wednesday with one taken before the attack on Sunday.

Source: U.S. State Department

Rocket impact in Ukrainian village

This image purportedly shows rocket launch scars at two multiple rocket launch sites pointed in the direction of Ukrainian military units. The State Department says the wide range of impacts near the Ukrainian forces is evidence of fire from multiple rocket launchers. The insets on the left show impacts in a Ukrainian village.

Source: U.S. State Department