Russian troops near Ukraine return to bases: Moscow
Iran Press TV
Tue May 20, 2014 11:50AM GMT
The Russian Defense Ministry says the country's troops stationed near the border with Ukraine are dismantling their camps and preparing to return to their bases.
Russian forces in the Bryansk, Belgorod and Rostov regions are preparing to return to their home bases, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
The ministerial announcement comes a day after President Vladimir Putin issued a pullout order.
The move is being described as a bid to de-escalate tensions between Russia and the West since the Cold-War era, as well as avoid further Western sanctions.
Experts say Putin's order shows he has no immediate intention of sending the Russian army into volatile eastern Ukraine.
The Ministry said it would take time for troops to load their equipment on trucks and head to railway stations.
It failed, however, to describe how many troops were being pulled out from the three regions or how long it would take.
Russia is estimated to have 40,000 forces in the region.
The acting Kiev government has been staging military operations in the eastern and southern regions since mid-April in a bid to root out pro-Moscow demonstrations.
Nearly 130 people have so far been killed during clashes and operations by Ukrainian troops in the east and the south, according to figures from the United Nations.
GMA/AB
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