Russian Vladimir Putin moves troops onto 'combat alert' as Ukraine fighting spills across border

Tensions between Moscow and Kiev continue to mount with Vladimir Putin's latest show of force as Russia dismisses Petro Poroshenko's "peace plan" as an ultimatum.

Russia's Vladimir Putin has ordered troops in central Russia onto “combat alert” in snap military drills a day after confirming the country is beefing up its presence on the Ukrainian border.

The move, which will not affect troops stationed on the Ukrainian border, follows a series of reports of fighting in eastern Ukraine spilling over the frontier into Russia. Announcing the move on Saturday morning Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, said the drills would run from June 21 to June 28.

“In accordance with [Mr Putin’s] order, from 11.00am Moscow time the troops of the central military district as well as formations and military units on its territory have been put on full combat alert,” Mr Shoigu said.

NATO Secretary-General warns Moscow against further intervention in Ukraine

NATO Secretary-General has warned Russia that further intervention in Ukraine would be a “historic mistake” with grave consequences.

Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Moscow must pull back troops it has massed on the Ukrainian border. On Tuesday, Ukraine regained control of one of the government buildings occupied by pro-Russian activists in the east of the country.