Russia orders troop withdrawal, but holds heavy weapons near Ukraine

According to the news agency Associated Press reports, after monitoring the Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's exercises, Sergei Shoigu said they were finished and ordered the army to withdraw troops who participated in the Crimea and Western Russia maneuvers again on their permanent bases.

“The troops have shown their protective capacity and I decided to complete military exercises in the south and west”, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was quoted as saying.

According to Mr. Shoigu's statement, troops must return to their bases by 1 May. But some heavy weapons will remain deployed in western Russia, as according to him another massive military exercise will be held this year.

The Russian Army has not reported the number of additional troops displaced to Crime and parts of southwestern Russia, near Ukraine, and it was not immediately clear from Minister Shoigu's statement if all troops are now to withdraw.

The US and NATO have said the gathering of Russian troops near Ukraine was the largest since 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimea.

The Russian Defence Ministry said maneuvers in Crime included more than 60 ships, over 10,000 troops, about 200 aircraft and about 1,200 military vehicles.

Ukraine's president, Voldymyr Zelenskiy, welcomed Moscow's decision to withdraw troops to the border, but said Kiev would remain vigilant.

“Reducing troops on our border proportionally reduces tension”, Mr. Zelenskiy wrote on the social Twitter network. / VOA