A view shows the Independence Monument and the Ukrainian national flag in Independence Square in central Kiev, Ukraine, April 11, 2016. Picture taken April 11, 2016. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine has the military resources to defend itself and is monitoring the situation around Crimea, the spokesman for the General Staff, Vladislav Seleznyov, told Reuters on Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kiev on Wednesday of using terrorist tactics to try to provoke a new conflict and destabilize Crimea, a region Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Earlier on Wednesday Russia said it had thwarted armed Ukrainian attempts to get saboteurs into the peninsula.

Putin’s comments stirred fears that Russia, which has been steadily reinforcing Crimea militarily, may be considering new military action in the region.