NATO says Russian-backed separatists equipped to launch new attacks with little warning

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attends a news conference in Lisbon, Portugal April 27, 2015. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Russia has built up its forces on the border with Ukraine and sent more military hardware into eastern Ukraine, enabling pro-Russia separatists to launch attacks with little warning if they choose to do so, NATO's chief warned on Monday. "There has been a Russian buildup both along the borders between Russia and Ukraine, but also inside eastern Ukraine with a steady flow of heavy equipment, tanks, artillery, ammunition, air defence systems and a lot of training," alliance Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference. "So they have the capacity, the capability to launch new attacks with very little warning time, but of course no one can say anything with certainty about the intention," he said. Russia denies Western and Ukrainian accusations that it is arming the separatists. (Reporting by Adrian Croft)