NATO Chief warns of Russia planning a 'full-scale attack' on Ukraine

Berlin: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday accused Russia of "planning a full-scale attack on Ukraine" under a false pretext, according to media reports.

"No troops are being withdrawn, as Russia says, but new troops are being added," Stoltenberg told German public broadcaster ARD, reported Sputnik News Agency. He further raised concerns about the civilians being evacuated from the pro-Russian separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk amid an increase in ceasefire violations in the southeast (Donbas).

The NATO chief also denied the accusations of NATO having broken its promise not to expand eastward, citing the alliance's founding treaty, according to the agency.

On the 8th of this month, the Chinese mission in European Union (EU) opposed NATO's further expansion.

"Thirty years after the end of the Cold War, NATO continues to expand its geographical scope and the range of operations and engages in bloc politics and confrontation. This is not conducive to global security and stability. China believes that regional security should not be guaranteed by strengthening or expanding military blocs," the embassy statement said.

Earlier today, Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) urged Swiss nationals to leave the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the Donbas region amid escalations in ceasefire violations.

The recent tensions are a result of Russia's build-up of around 150,000 troops just over the border from the Donbas region in the east, in Belarus to the north and Crimea to the south, which began in the autumn.

Meanwhile, Denis Pushilin, the head of the pro-Russian separatist government in the Donetsk region signed a decree on general mobilization on Saturday, while the Russian Emergencies Ministry told Sputnik that their Rostov Region has opened 15 border crossings for refugees from the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas.

Amidst the increased tensions, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron are scheduled to speak on a phone call today.