Russia's Putin blames Kiev for increased violence in east Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting with representatives of Crimean national minorities in Yalta, Crimea, August 17, 2015. REUTERS/Alexei Nikolsky/RIA Novosti/Kremlin

SEVASTOPOL, Crimea (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday blamed the Ukrainian government for the latest upsurge in fighting between Kiev forces and Russia-backed rebels in east Ukraine.

After taking a dive in an underwater submersible in Crimea, a Black Sea peninsula Moscow annexed from Kiev last year, Putin told reporters: