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Kyiv, Ukraine (CNN) — Russia recalled its ambassador to NATO for consultations Thursday, two days after NATO member countries suspended cooperation with Russia over the Ukraine crisis, Russian state media reported.

Col. Gen. Valery Yevnevich will return to Moscow in light of NATO’s actions, official news agency ITAR-Tass said, citing Russian Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov’s remarks to journalists.

“The policy of (deliberately) whipping up tensions is not our choice. Nonetheless, we see no possibility to continue military cooperation with NATO in a routine regime,” Antonov is quoted as saying.

He accused NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen of making “confrontational statements” at the meeting of NATO foreign ministers early this week and questioned NATO steps to bolster its presence in Eastern Europe.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said Moscow wanted answers from NATO regarding activities in Eastern Europe after the Western military alliance said it would step up defenses for its eastern members.

Russia the West: Who’s the aggressor?

Russian troops stay; NATO amps security

Kerry: Energy can’t be used as a weapon

Ukrainian soldiers conduct a training session on the Desna military shooting range, northeast of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, April 2. Ukrainian and Western officials have voiced alarm about Russia’s reported military buildup on Ukraine’s eastern border. Moscow has formally annexed Ukraine’s southern Crimea region, sparking the biggest East-West confrontation since the end of the Cold War.

Russian soldiers prepare for diving training in front of a Tarantul-III class missile boat Tuesday, April 1, in the Crimean city of Sevastopol.

People pass by barricades near the Dnipro Hotel in Kyiv on April 1.

People walk past a train loaded with Russian tanks Monday, March 31, in the Gvardeyskoe railway station near Simferopol, Crimea.

A Russian solder sits in a tank at the Ostryakovo railway station, not far from Simferopol on March 31.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev speaks about the economic development of Crimea during a meeting March 31 in Simferopol.

Members of the Ukrainian National Guard take part in military exercises on a shooting range near Kyiv on March 31.

A woman cries Sunday, March 30, during a gathering to honor those who were killed during protests in Kyiv’s Independence Square.

A woman and child walk past a line of police officers during a rally in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 30.

Ukrainian soldiers take part in a training exercise at a military base in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Saturday, March 29.

Demonstrators protest Friday, March 28, in Kyiv, displaying police vehicles they seized during earlier clashes with authorities.

Members of the Right Sector group block the Ukrainian parliament building in Kyiv on Thursday, March 27. Activists called for Interior Minister Arsen Avakov to step down after the recent killing of radical nationalist leader Oleksandr Muzychko, who died during a police operation to detain him. Muzychko and the Right Sector are credited with playing a lead role in the protests that toppled Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych.

Ukrainian tanks are transported from their base in Perevalne, Crimea, on Wednesday, March 26. After Russian troops seized most of Ukraine’s bases in Crimea, interim Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov ordered the withdrawal of armed forces from the Black Sea peninsula, citing Russian threats to the lives of military staff and their families.

Ukrainian marines wave as they leave a base in Feodosia, Crimea, on Tuesday, March 25.

Russian sailors stand on the deck of the corvette ship Suzdalets in the bay of Sevastopol on March 25.

Pro-Russian militia members remove a resident as Russian troops assault the Belbek air base, outside Sevastopol, on Saturday, March 22. After its annexation of Crimea, Russian forces have consolidated their control of the region.

Soldiers in unmarked uniforms sit atop an armored personnel carrier at the gate of the Belbek air base on March 22.

A Russian sailor holds the Russian Navy’s St. Andrew’s flag while standing on the bow of the surrendered Ukrainian submarine Zaporozhye on March 22 in Sevastopol.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signs the final decree completing the annexation of Crimea on Friday, March 21, as Upper House Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, left, and State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin watch.

A Ukrainian serviceman leaves a Ukrainian military unit that Russian soldiers took control of in Perevalne on March 21.

Ukrainian border guards run during training at a military camp in Alekseyevka, Ukraine, on March 21.

Russian soldiers patrol the area surrounding a Ukrainian military unit in Perevalne on Thursday, March 20.

Pro-Russian protesters remove the gate to the Ukrainian navy headquarters as Russian troops stand guard in Sevastopol on Wednesday, March 19.

Pro-Russian forces walk inside the Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol on March 19.

A member of pro-Russian forces takes down a Ukrainian flag at the Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol on March 19.

Alexander Vitko, chief of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, leaves the Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol after pro-Russian forces took it over on March 19.

A Russian flag waves as workers install a new sign on a parliament building in Simferopol, Crimea’s capital, on March 19.

Russian military personnel surround a Ukrainian military base in Perevalne on March 19.

Nameplates on the front of the Crimean parliament building get removed Tuesday, March 18, in Simferopol.

From left, Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov; Vladimir Konstantinov, speaker of the Crimean parliament; Russian President Vladimir Putin; and Alexei Chaly, the new de facto mayor of Sevastopol, join hands in Moscow on March 18 after signing a treaty to make Crimea part of Russia.

Demonstrators hold a Crimean flag at Lenin Square in Simferopol on March 18.

Ukrainian soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint near Strilkove, Ukraine, close to Crimea on Monday, March 17.

Former boxer and Ukrainian politician Vitali Klitschko addresses reporters in Kyiv on March 17.

Ukrainian troops stand guard in front of the Ukrainian Parliament building in Kyiv on March 17.

A Ukrainian man applies for the National Guard at a mobile recruitment center in Kyiv on March 17.

Civilians walk past riot police in Simferopol on March 17.

A Ukrainian soldier stands on top of an armored vehicle at a military camp near the village of Michurino, Ukraine, on March 17.

Policemen stand guard outside the regional state administration building in Donetsk during a rally by pro-Russia activists March 17.

Armed soldiers stand guard outside a Ukrainian military base in Perevalne on March 17.

A man holds a Crimean flag as he stands in front of the Crimean parliament building in Simferopol on March 17.

Crimeans holding Russian flags celebrate in front of the parliament building in Simferopol on Sunday, March 16.

A Ukrainian police officer tries to shield himself from a road block thrown by pro-Russia supporters in Kharkiv on March 16.

Pro-Russia demonstrators storm the prosecutor general’s office during a rally in Donetsk on March 16.

A woman leaves a voting booth in Sevastopol on March 16. See the crisis in Ukraine before Crimea voted

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Photos: Crisis in Ukraine

Russia’s move to annex the Crimea region from Ukraine last month has sparked the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War and raised fears among its Eastern European neighbors.

At their meeting, NATO foreign ministers decided the alliance would draw up plans for reinforcing NATO’s defenses following Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region — which the West deems illegal.

These would possibly include measures such as sending NATO soldiers and equipment to allies in Eastern Europe, holding more exercises and ensuring NATO’s rapid-reaction force could deploy more quickly, a NATO official said. It could also include a possible review of NATO’s military plans.

“We have posed these questions to the North Atlantic Alliance. We are expecting not just any answer but an answer fully respectful of the rules we have coordinated,” Lavrov told a joint news briefing with his Kazakh counterpart.

Responding to criticism from Kyiv and the West over the presence of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine, Lavrov said Russia had the right to move forces on its territory and said they would return to their permanent bases after completing military exercises.

“Russian troops in the Rostov region will return to their bases after completing military exercises,” he said, referring to an area near the Ukrainian border.

NATO’s military chief warned Wednesday that Russian troops could begin moving on Ukraine within 12 hours of being given an order. Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO’s supreme allied commander Europe, also said that with 40,000 troops massed near the border, Russia has all the components necessary to move on Ukraine.

Report: Yanukovych implicated in killings

In Ukraine, a newly released report said the killings of protesters in the Ukrainian capital during anti-government demonstrations in February took place under the order of ousted President Viktor Yanukovych.

The preliminary report by the Ukrainian government implicated pro-Moscow Yanukovych in the covert planning of a series of sniper attacks in Kyiv, backed by Russia, during the rallies that eventually led him to flee across the border.

Presenting the findings at a news conference, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said evidence showed Yanukovych had directly ordered snipers to open fire on protesters. Yanukovych, now in Russia, has denied personal responsibility for the bloodshed.

Twelve members of the feared Berkut special security forces have been detained as part of the investigation, Prosecutor General Oleh Makhnytsky announced.

The inquiry looked into the shootings on Instytutska Street in Kyiv, where dozens were killed on February 18-20. Around 100 people are now known to have died in Ukraine since the unrest began in November following Yanukovych’s last-minute U-turn over a deal with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia.

The new government in Kyiv has since signed the political part of the association agreement with the EU.

The report also said Russian Federal Security Service operatives had been involved in planning operations against the protesters. Ukrainian Security Service chief Valentyn Nalyvaychenko said the Russian agency had sent “tons” of explosives and weapons by plane to Ukraine.

Moscow has claimed far-right protesters were behind the shootings in an effort to stir up anger against Yanukovych.

Gas price hike

Meanwhile, the head of Russia’s top natural gas producer, Gazprom, said it would further increase the gas price for Ukraine to $485 per 1,000 cubic meters as of April, ITAR-Tass quoted him as saying.

Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller said the price would increase during a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who urged Ukraine to pay off its gas debts.

The increase came two days after Gazprom announced a 44% hike in the gas price for Ukraine, starting April 1, to $385.50 per 1,000 cubic meters due to the unpaid bills.

Ukraine also owes $2.2 billion in unpaid natural gas bills, Miller said during his meeting with Medvedev, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s office.

“Hopefully, in the near future, Ukraine will start repaying its debts and will finance its ongoing supplies; however, we see that the situation is not improving, and is only getting worse,” Miller is quoted as saying.

Europe and the United States are working together to reduce Ukraine’s reliance on Russian energy by developing alternative sources of natural gas, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said this week.