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Russia has begun military exercises, involving more than 8,000 troops, close to the border
with Ukraine. The ministry of defence confirmed artillery
such as rocket launchers and anti-tank weapons would also be involved in the exercises.
It comes at a time of high tension ahead of Crimea's referendum on Sunday on whether to
break away from Ukraine and join Russia. Earlier, Ukraine's parliament voted to create
a 60,000-strong volunteer force. Interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk vowed
on Wednesday that Ukraine "will never surrender" to Russia.
He has the backing of the US and the EU who have threatened tough sanctions against Russia
if it does not pull back its troops, currently guarding key sites in Crimea.
In a sign of the tension spreading to other parts of Europe, Belarus - a Russian ally
- has asked Moscow to deploy extra fighter jets and military transport aircraft after
Nato boosted its forces in the neighbouring Baltic countries.
Bolstering defences Russia's defence ministry confirmed military
exercises had begun in the regions of Rostov, Belgorod and Kursk, which are close to the
border of Ukraine, and would continue until the end of March.
"The main aim... is a multi-faceted check of the units' cohesiveness followed by the
performance of battle training assignments in unfamiliar terrain and untested firing
ranges," the ministry said. Ukraine's national security chief Andriy Parubiy
warned on Wednesday of a "critical situation" on Ukraine's eastern and southern borders
where he said more than Russian 80,000 troops were now massing.
He said there was a "threat of a full-scale invasion from various directions" and warned
that some troops were just "two to three hours" from Ukraine's capital, Kiev.
Ukraine's parliament unanimously backed the creation of a National Guard, which will be
made up of 60,000 volunteers taken mainly from activists involved in the recent pro-Western
protests as well as from military academies. They will "ensure state security, defend borders
and eliminate terrorist groups," Mr Parubiy said.
Ukraine's conventional army currently has around 130,000 soldiers compared with Russia's
845,000-strong force.