battalion
ロシアの輸送部隊がウクライナの国境を超えたことに対して，西洋諸国が激しく反発しております。輸送の内容は不明ですが，ロシア側は，武器や兵士を運んでいるわけではないと主張しております。
記事の中で気になった単語は"battalion"です。『Wisdom英和辞典第三版（三省堂）』によると「大隊，（整列した）軍勢」などという意味がありました。ODには"A large body of troops ready for battle, especially an infantry unit forming part of a brigade"と定義されております。ロシアは否定しておりますが，この単語の定義を見ると，やはり武器を運んでいると考えてしまいます。（Ume）
Ukraine crisis: Russian convoy prompts Western anger
Nato's condemnation of the entry of Russia's aid convoy into Ukraine marks a significant hardening of its tone. The statement speaks of "a major escalation in Russian military involvement in eastern Ukraine since mid-August, including the use of Russian forces".
Indeed Nato goes further, insisting that Russian artillery is being used against Ukrainian forces, with the fire coming both from across the border in Russia, and from within Ukraine itself. Western military sources speak of "substantial" Russian military deployments inside Ukraine with battalion-size elements on the ground.
All this, taken with what Nato describes as the transfer of "large quantities of advanced weapons" to separatist groups in eastern Ukraine, suggests a concerted effort by Moscow to prop up the defences of Luhansk and Donetsk. Russia has consistently denied such charges but Russian armour has been seen crossing into Ukraine and marshalled near the border.
