Russia ‘threatening Ukraine with destruction’, Kyiv says

The foreign minister’s comments come as his counterparts from the Baltic nations visit Kyiv in a show of solidarity.

Ukraine’s foreign minister has accused Russia of flagrantly threatening Ukraine with destruction as fears continue to rise over a possible escalation of hostilities in the country’s conflict-stricken east. Fighting has intensified in recent weeks in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Lugansk regions, where government forces have battled Russian-backed separatists since April 2014 after the rebels seized a swath of territory there. Meanwhile, Russia has amassed tens of thousands of troops as well as tanks and artillery near the shared border in the region. Moscow has also mobilised troops in the annexed Black Sea region of Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in March 2014.