Ukraine cites large buildup of Russian troops on border

KIEV, Ukraine — Russia is building up its land forces and weapons along the border, Ukraine’s president said Saturday as German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Russia not to block Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov.

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine were still escalating a week after a naval clash in the Black Sea on Nov. 25 in which Russia fired on three Ukrainian naval ships then seized them and their 24 crew members.

Speaking at a Ukrainian military event, President Petro Poroshenko said Russia has deployed “more than 80,000 troops, 1,400 artillery and multiple rocket launch systems, 900 tanks, 2,300 armored combat vehicles, 500 aircraft and 300 helicopters” along their common border.

These numbers, which have not been verified, would account for the vast majority of men and hardware assigned to Russia’s Western Military District.

The naval clash came as the Ukrainian ships sailed to the Kerch Strait, the only waterway leading into the Sea of Azov and the site of a new key Russian bridge linking occupied Crimea with the Russian mainland.

Russia accused the Ukrainian vessels of violating Russian territorial waters, a charge Ukraine has denied. Ukrainian officials say Russia has now imposed a de facto blockade on its two main ports in the Sea of Azov by allowing only ships destined for Russian ports through the strait.

Merkel criticized that Russian move, speaking to reporters Saturday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires after holding a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Free shipping into the Sea of Azov to the Ukrainian coast and harbors must be ensured” by Russia, she said.

A 2003 Russia-Ukraine agreement designates the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait as shared internal waters. But following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, Moscow has asserted greater control over the passage.

“The Kremlin is further testing the strength of the global order,” Poroshenko said Saturday, alleging that Moscow is waiting to see whether the international community will allow Russia to assert that the Sea of Azov and Black Sea are Russian territorial waters.

Poroshenko said Russia is also increasing its presence at sea.

Mykola Lazarenko The Associated Press Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko addresses his armed forces Saturday at the military airfield in Vasylkiv region as Poroshenko transferred new aircraft and military equipment to the forces.