MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry accused Nato on Thursday of using the crisis in Ukraine to boost its appeal to members and justify its existence by rallying them against an imaginary threat.

"The constant accusations against us by the Secretary-General (Anders Fogh Rasmussen) convince us that the alliance is trying to use the crisis in Ukraine to rally its ranks in the face of an imaginary external threat to Nato members and to strengthen demand for the alliance... in the 21st century," the ministry said in a statement.