Russia to pull back troops from border with Ukraine
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Russian Defense Ministry announced, on Tuesday, the pulling back of some Russian troops from the border with Ukraine following weeks of escalation that pushed many western and Arab countries to demand their nationals an immediate leave from Ukraine.
On Tuesday morning, the Russian Defense Ministry’s spokesman Igor Konoshenkov said that some forces deployed near Ukraine had completed their exercises and were packing up to leave.
The move came amid an intense diplomatic effort to avert any potential Russian invasion of its neighbor and after Moscow deployed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders.
In a statement, Konoshenkov said, “Units of the southern and western military districts, which have accomplished their missions, are boarding trains and trucks and will head for their garrisons later today,” according to The Guardian.
The Guardian reported that Russia is holding large joint exercises with Belarus scheduled to end on 20 February. Western countries have warned that those drills could be used as cover to prepare for an attack on Ukraine, while Russia has said those troops will return to base once the exercises have concluded.
In an interview with the Guardian yesterday, Russia’s ambassador to the EU has said Moscow would be within its rights to launch a “counterattack” if it felt it needed to protect Russian citizens living in eastern Ukraine.
The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, was scheduled yesterday to travel to Kyiv and Moscow in order to sustain diplomatic efforts to calm the Ukraine issue.