Russia warns Ukraine against use of force in rebel regions

A Ukrainian serviceman speaks to a woman holding a Ukrainian national flag before a parade marking the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kramatorsk (Andriy Andriyenko/AP)

Russia’s military has warned the Ukrainian government against trying to settle a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine with force, a statement that adds to the tensions sparked by a Russian troop buildup near the Ukrainian border.

Officials in Ukraine and the west have said the amassing of troops may indicate plans by Moscow to invade its ex-Soviet neighbour, but Russian officials have repeatedly denied harbouring such plans.