Russia says Ukraine has deployed half its army to Donbass conflict zone

FILE PHOTO: Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova listens during the annual news conference of the Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (not pictured) in Moscow, Russia January 16, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia accused Ukraine on Wednesday of deploying half of its army or 125,000 troops to Donbass, a conflict zone in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have been battling Russia-backed separatists since 2014.

The accusation was levelled by Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova during a briefing in Moscow. There was no immediate response from Kyiv.