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.
