“The units of the South and West military districts, which have already completed their tasks, have started loading onto means of transport” and “will start returning to their barracks today (Tuesday),” Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov announced. .
The Kremlin confirmed on Tuesday the beginning of the withdrawal of its troops deployed on the border with Ukraine, stressing that it is something “normal” and again denouncing Western “hysteria” in the face of an alleged invasion of the neighboring country.
“We always said that after the maneuvers, the troops will return to their original barracks. And that is what is happening now. It’s the usual process,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters.
The announcement, the first sign of detente by Moscow, was vague and it is not known how many soldiers it affects. Russia had deployed more than 100,000 troops to the Ukrainian border since December.
At the same time, it continues to carry out military exercises in BelarusUkraine’s neighbor, which will last until February 20.
The withdrawal of some troops was received with enthusiasm in Ukraine, whose Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, assured that his country, together with its Western allies, had “managed to prevent a new Russian escalation.”
The Russian announcement also coincides with the arrival in Moscow of the German chancellor Olaf Scholzwhich is trying to advance the diplomatic path and try to ward off the specter of an invasion and war in Eastern Europe.
This Tuesday, the German Foreign Minister, annalena baerbockHe called on Russia to withdraw its troops from the border. “The situation is particularly dangerous and could worsen at any time,” the minister warned in a statement.
On Monday, Russia had already given a small positive signal when its foreign minister, Sergei Lavrovassured that there was “a possibility” of “solving the problems” through diplomatic channels.
The path of dialogue “has not been exhausted, but neither can it last indefinitely,” added Lavrov, with a more measured tone and far from the strong statements of recent days. The minister also described as “constructive” some proposals for U.S.
From Washington, the authorities had warned that the Russian invasion “could happen at any time.”
The US embassy in Kiev was moved to Lviv, in the west of the country, on Monday, turning a deaf ear to calls from the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskywho asked not to panic.
Russia, which annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and has since backed pro-Russian separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine, repeatedly denies any military intent.
On the contrary, she claims to feel threatened by the expansion of the NATO towards Eastern Europe and demands “security guarantees” as a commitment so that Ukraine never enters the military alliance.
Its possible accession is not yet on the Alliance’s agenda nor is there a planned timetable for dealing with this issue, but Westerners described the Russian demands as unacceptable. However, they proposed a dialogue on other issues such as the limitation of weapons.
Waiting for possible progress on the diplomatic front, in the south-east of Ukraine, near the front with the pro-Russian separatists and the border, the population is preparing for the prospect of an attack.
“We dig trenches into which the Ukrainian soldiers can easily jump and defend themselves,” Mikhailo Anopa, a 15-year-old boy, told AFP as he toiled in a trench, wearing a borrowed camouflage uniform.
Source: Ambito
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