The Ukrainian president on Tuesday (November 27th) accused Russia of having multiplied the number of its troops present on the border with Ukraine. The tension is extreme between the two countries.

Russia has drastically beefed up its military presence on the Ukrainian border, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Tuesday, citing the threat of "total war" with Moscow.

"The number of tanks on (Russian military) bases along our border has tripled," Poroshenko told three Ukrainian television channels. "The number of military units placed along our border has increased drastically," he added without specifying the period.

The head of state also reported a sharp increase in the number of Russian military ships in the Sea of ​​Azov and a reinforced Russian military presence in Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow four years ago. citing data from Ukrainian intelligence services.

In Crimea, since 2014, "the number of soldiers has tripled, that of armored has increased fivefold and that of the artillery has almost increased tenfold," he added.

"I do not want anyone to think it's child's play. Ukraine faces the threat of total war with the Russian Federation , "he said.

Worst arm wrestling for several years

Poroshenko also said he had tried to phone his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after Sunday's capture by Russia of three Ukrainian military ships in the Black Sea off the coast of Crimea, but did not reply.

"The same night, I asked for an interview with Russian President Putin. We did not receive an answer. And I was forced " to ask German Chancellor Angela Merkel " to discuss with Putin " about this incident, the head of the Ukrainian state said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov quoted Russian agencies as saying "no telephone contact between the presidents was taking place" .

Ukraine and Russia have been engaged since Sunday in their worst wrestling for several years following the capture by the Russians of three Ukrainian military boats and 24 sailors on board.

This armed incident sparked an uproar in Ukraine, which introduced martial law in its border regions for a month, and among its Western allies.