Chief of the General Staff - commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Viktor Muzhenko, has said he regards Russia's decision to name military units after Ukrainian cities as a sign of Russia's claims on the territory of Ukraine.

"Concerning the appropriation of the so-called honorary titles to parts of the Russian army ... By their decisions, Russians continue their long tradition of stealing someone else's history and glory, marking the territory and voicing claims on the lands of other peoples, to which Russia has no relation," Muzhenko said on his Facebook page.

"This is a clear signal to us and the world that the aggressor is not going to stop in Donbas and Crimea. It is also aimed at mobilizing pro-Russian forces on the territory of Ukraine," he added.

Muzhenko said Ukraine's army "has its own military-historical traditions and Russia's actions do not affect us in any way."

Three Russian regiments now contain the name of Ukrainian cities, namely Lviv, Zhytomyr and Nizhyn.