President Petro Poroshenko is said to be fearful that President Vladimir Putin is planning his next show of strength and has called on Nato to send in warships as tensions escalate between the two countries. Kiev is worried about the deepening political crisis and believes Putin has set his sights on the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk. This would create a land corridor between Crimea, annexed by Moscow in March 2014, and Donetsk and Luhansk, the eastern regions which have been partly controlled by Russian-backed separatists since the conflict began in May 2014…

Poroshenko said some reservists will be called up for training as part of the order and some military units will be redeployed.

He said: “Ukraine is taking its own steps in response to the threat of a large-scale Russian invasion.”

Russian troops and tanks have been deployed along the border with Ukraine, according to Poroshenko, which he believes signals possible plans for a ground offensive.