DHAKA: Ukraine’s defence minister warned on Monday that a ‘great war’ has broken out with Russia over his country’s future that could claim tens of thousands of lives.

‘A great war has arrived at our doorstep - the likes of which Europe has not seen since World War II’, Valeriy Geletey wrote in a Facebook post, reports The Straits Times.

‘Unfortunately, the losses in such a war will be measured not in the hundreds but thousands and tens of thousands.’

BDST: 2117 HRS, SEP 01, 2014