Russia resuming military buildup along Ukrainian border in attempt to intimidate

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Russia is resuming its military buildup along the Ukrainian border in an apparent attempt to intimidate its neighbor, NATO's chief said Thursday.

This as Ukrainian government forces unleashed a major offensive against pro-Moscow insurgents.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, voicing strong concern about the Ukrainian military onslaught.

Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko then discussed details of the peace plan in a phone call — their second conversation this week.

Last month, in an apparent attempt to ease tensions in Ukraine, Putin pulled back many of the estimated 40,000 Russian troops massed along the border.

But on Thursday, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that Russia has sent a few thousand additional troops to the border, calling it "a very regrettable step backward."

The Russian Defense Ministry refused to comment.

The allegations came as heavy fighting raged near Krasnyi Liman in the Donetsk region, which has been the epicenter of violence over the past two months.

Next week, the foreign ministers and leaders of the European Union are scheduled to meet and could consider tougher economic sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis.