Ukraine Claims Over 9,000 Russian Troops Disguise In Country

The Ukrainian President has claimed more than 9,000 Russian soldiers are currently backing up pro-Moscow fighters in the separatist east of the country.

In a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Petro Poroshenko said Russian troops were backed by a range of heavy weapons including tanks and artillery systems.

"We have more than 9,000 troops of the Russian Federation on my territory, including more than 500 tanks and heavy artillery and armed personnel carriers," he said.

"If this is not aggression, what is aggression?"  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov challenged Kiev to "present the proof".

US officials later cranked up the diplomatic pressure on Russia with Secretary of State John Kerry calling Russia's actions "a blatant land grab".

 

Mr Poroshenko, a pro-Western leader, called on Moscow to comply with a September peace plan and co-operate in closing the long joint border with Ukraine and withdrawing Russian forces.

The nine-month conflict has killed more than 4,800 people and brought Ukraine's economy to its knees.

Moscow has firmly denied supporting the insurgents and disputes NATO satellite imagery purporting to show its forces' presence in Ukraine. 

Russia has long claimed that the legitimate Ukrainian government was earlier overthrown in a CIA-backed operation.

Ukraine says Russian troops engaged in the east remove identifying tags and insignia from their uniforms to hide their affiliation, much as they did in the early days of the seizure of Crimea by pro-Russian forces culminating in its annexation by Russia in March. 

Germany is hosting representatives of France, Russia and Ukraine in Berlin to discuss the crisis.