Russia warns troops set to react if bloodbath threatened as Marr questions 'invasion' plan.
ANDREW MARR has grilled the UK's Russian ambassador, as the BBC host suggested that the number of Russian troops on Ukraine's border "looks like the beginning of an invasion".
Russia's ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin has warned that Ukraine wants a bloodbath - and Russia is ready to respond with force. This comes as Andrew Marr grilled Mr Kelin on the huge number of Russian troops amassing on its border with Ukraine.
Eastern Ukraine is under the control of Russia-backed rebels, and Moscow has warned that attempts to attack these rebels from Ukraine would see a military response from Russia.
He added: "Inside the Ukraine, on the line of demarcation between the self-declared republics of Donbass and others, there are 60,000 Ukrainian troops and this build-up continues."
"It is tanks and field hospitals and long-range communication. This looks like the beginning of an invasion."
Mr Kelin pointed out that "NATO wants to assemble 30,000 troops on the border of Russia and Ukraine, also assembling tanks, vehicles, and so on".
He continued: "We need to be prepared for that, and the Russian army is prepared for that."
This comes as a five-nation alliance known as the Quint – the UK, US, Canada, Lithuania and Poland – is backing Ukraine and stated that it would “continue to call on Russia to de-escalate”.
The US has announced the deployment of two warships to the Black Sea in an attempt to shore up Ukrainian resistance to the Russians.
In Russia, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned the situation in eastern Ukraine was “very unstable”.
Amid the growing tensions, the US is said to have voiced fears the provocative Russian military exercises near the Black Sea could lead to passenger flights being caught in the crossfire