Sources close to the Russian military said on Thursday that Russian naval forces in the Black Sea had been put on heightened alert to discourage Ukraine from trying to disrupt the soccer World Cup as the tournament got underway.
However, the Defense Ministry itself dismissed the reports, saying in a statement: "The forces of the Black Sea Fleet are working in routine mode. No measures to put (them) on high combat alert have taken place."
Reuters was not able to verify a Ukrainian buildup independently, and there was no confirmation of that from officials in Kiev.