By Nick Enoch The US government has released new satellite pictures which it said showed Russian forces were still near the Ukrainian border in recent days, contradicting Russian assertions they had been withdrawn. President Vladimir Putin announced last Wednesday that the troops had moved, but NATO and the US both said they had seen no sign of a Russian withdrawal from the frontier. NATO officials have previously estimated Russia has around 40,000 soldiers close to Ukraine's border, exacerbating the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War. Scroll down for video The photos showed what appeared to be about 20 Russian helicopters at Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border, on May 9. Alongside it, the US government published another image of the same area on March 26, also showing helicopters. An earlier photograph, from March 22, showed no helicopters in the area
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Photos appear to show about 20 Russian helicopters at Belgorod on May 9
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US claims second image, taken in Rostov on May 12, within 50 miles of Ukraine border, shows group of Russian armoured vehicles
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NATO spokesman says Russia still has 40,000 troops on Ukraine's borders
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'Combat helicopter with UN markings' spotted in East Ukraine
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