Russia is continuing to build its military capabilities on the Ukrainian border, contradicting Moscow's claims of a drawdown of troops, according to Britain's defence intelligence chief.
"We have not seen evidence that Russia has withdrawn forces from Ukraine's borders," Lieutenant General Sir Jim Hockenhull, the defence intelligence chief, said in a rare public statement on Wednesday.
"Contrary to their claims, Russia continues to build up military capabilities near Ukraine.
"This includes sightings of additional armoured vehicles, helicopters and a field hospital moving towards Ukraine's borders. Russia has the military mass in place to conduct an invasion of Ukraine."
Earlier, NATO defence ministers said they remained "gravely concerned" by the Russian military build-up and again urged the Kremlin to revert to the "path of diplomacy" in line with its international commitments.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO was considering establishing new battlegroups in central, eastern and south-eastern Europe to counter the threat from Moscow, which he described as "the new normal".
Reuters with PA