[Telegraph] Ukraine has begun calling up reservists and deploying troops to the border to counter what it says is the growing threat of a Russian invasion.President Petro Poroshenko, who last week declared martial law in 10 regions, announced the military moves on Monday in response to a "sharp increase in Russian forces along our borders and in occupied Crimea".
The day before, Mr Poroshenko claimed that Russia was trying to capture the major port city of Mariupol and create a land corridor to Crimea.
Vladimir Putin's spokesman yesterday called this statement "absolutely absurd" and accused Ukraine's leader of "provoking tensions" before the presidential election there in March.
The escalation stems from when Russian forces fired upon and seized three Ukrainian naval ships attempting to enter the Azov Sea through the Kerch Strait on November 25.