24/03/2014 10:50
Nato warns of Russian army build-up on Ukraine border
Nato's military commander in Europe has issued a warning about the build-up of Russian forces on Ukraine's border, the BBC reported.
Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen Philip Breedlove said Nato was in particular concerned about the threat to Moldova's Trans-Dniester region.
Russia said its forces east of Ukraine complied with international agreements.
The build-up has been linked to Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, following the removal of Ukraine's pro-Moscow president.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia warned that the risk of war with Russia was growing.
"The problem with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is that he doesn't want to talk to - not only to the Ukrainian government - but also to the Western leaders," Mr Deshchytsia told the BBC.
"And this is quite a danger for the decision-making process. We could only expect that he might invade."
Meanwhile, several parts of Crimea have been hit by power cuts blamed on technical problems in a transmission line from the Ukrainian mainland to the Black Sea peninsula.
Crimea's power provider Krymenergo said in a statement on its website that it was forced to implement partial power cuts after a line run by Ukraine's national electricity company, Ukrenergo, was hit by a technical fault and needed to be repaired.
Most of Crimea's electricity, as well as its water and food, comes from the Ukrainian mainland.