The Kremlin said on Monday that Russian military movements near its shared border with Ukraine posed no threat to Ukraine or anyone else and that Moscow moved troops around its country as it saw fit.
NATO voiced concern last week over what it said was a big Russian military build-up near eastern Ukraine and as Russia warned that a serious escalation in the conflict in Ukraine's Donbass region could "destroy" Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday told reporters on a conference call that Russia was always looking out for its own security.