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Ukraine Says Military on Full Alert for Possible Russian Attack

Ukraine's acting president Oleksandr Turchynov chairs a meeting at the presidential administration headquarters in Kiev on Wednesday.

KIEV — Ukraine's armed forces are on full military alert in case of a Russian invasion, the country's acting president said on Wednesday, reiterating concern over Russian troops massed on the border.

"I once again return to the real danger of the Russian Federation beginning a land war against Ukraine," Oleksandr Turchynov told a meeting of regional governors in Kiev, Interfax-Ukraine reported.

"Our armed forces have been put on full military readiness," he said.

Russia says it has no plan to invade eastern Ukraine following its annexation of the Crimean peninsula in March, but Turchynov's remark made clear the pro-Western government in Kiev saw no reason to reduce the readiness of its armed forces.

Kiev, however, accuses Moscow of orchestrating an armed uprising in the industrial east by Russian-speaking separatists who have seized government buildings in a string of towns and cities, largely unopposed by police.

See also:

Protesters Seize New Building in Eastern Ukraine

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