Russia warns Ukraine about a possible civil war

Russia urged Ukrainian authorities on Tuesday to stop any preparations for interventions in the pro-Russian regions in the east of the country, warning that there is the prospect of a civil war.

"We urge an immediate end to any military preparations, which may trigger a civil war," said the Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement released on Tuesday, in the context in which the tensions raised sharply since Sunday, after the pro-Russian demonstrators took control of the government buildings in several cities in the east of Ukraine.