Russia, US maintain permanent contacts over Ukraine - Russian Defense Ministry
21 May 2014, 16:20 -- Russia's and the US defense agencies maintain permanent contacts over Ukraine, Russia's Defense Ministry top official said. 'The defense officials are holding substantial talks in a sincere atmosphere,' the chief of the Russian Defense Ministry Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation, Sergei Koshelev told Rossiya 24 TV Channel on Wednesday.
'We're ready to explain Russian actions' logic, including the activity of Russian troops in the area adjacent to the Ukrainian borders,' he said.
'Chief of Russia's General Staff Valery Gerasimov is talking with Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu talked with US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel three times. There are no forbidden topics,' Koshelev said.
'In my view, as of today, there are no grounds for mistrusting the pledges that the ministers gave earlier. In Vienna, representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry commented on the West's statements that 40,000 Russian troops had been massed on the Ukrainian border,' he said.
The photos were thoroughly studied in Vienna and proved that Russia had not built up any group, Koshelev said.
'Nobody could set any claims. Everyone recognised that no undeclared activity against Ukraine had been made. The Russian Federation's policy is exclusively transparent,' he said.
Russian troops coming back after military exercises on border with Ukraine
On the order by Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu formations of Russian Armed Forces which conducted military exercises in regions bordering Ukraine are coming back to their permanent bases, the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry told TASS on Tuesday.
Russian President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin gave an order to complete military exercises and bring back troops from firing ranges in Rostov-on-Don, Belgorod and Bryansk regions to their permanent bases, the Kremlin press service reported earlier.
'Motor rifle, tank, artillery, engineering, reconnaissance and other units have fulfilled the whole scope of drills according to combat training plan at remote firing ranges in these regions,' the Russian Defense Ministry noted.
At military exercises servicemen drilled combat interoperability of military units and held fire drills. Commanders have drilled their command skills.
Troops will be returned in two stages: at first military units will march to railway stations and then military staff and military hardware will be delivered by train. 'Presently commanders are specifying routes and order of marching to railway stations, military staff are removing tent camps, are loading equipment, material supplies and are forming columns of motor and armored vehicles,' the ministry said.
After comeback to their permanent bases servicemen will continue training at organic fire ranges and training centers.
The Defense Ministry recalled the annual training cycle consists of two periods: the winter period of training ends on May 31 and a new summer period starts on June 1. All combat training plans are made for a year and are specified in November by the start of an academic year that will begin on December 1.
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