Russia has begun withdrawing troops from the south and west of the country. The first soldiers should return to their permanent bases as early as Tuesday, the Defense Ministry spokesman said.
In the midst of the conflict with Ukraine, Russia says it has begun withdrawing troops from the south and west of the country after manoeuvres. In Moscow, the first soldiers should return to their permanent bases as early as Tuesday, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
In addition, the loading of military technology had begun. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had previously announced that some exercises were nearing completion. However, it was initially unclear how many soldiers were involved.
Other manoeuvres continued, including in neighbouring Belarus. Konashenkov stressed that Russia is continuing a “set of large-scale operations related to the operational training of troops and armed forces.” Nevertheless, the procedure was seen as a possible step towards relaxation. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on the social network Telegram: “February 15, 2022, will go down in history as the day when Western war propaganda died down.” The west was embarrassed.
The west had reacted with extreme concern to the Russian manoeuvres. The US fears that the troop movements and deployment of tens of thousands of soldiers along the Ukrainian border are preparing for war. Russia rejects this.
Meanwhile, more than 30 Russian warships of different classes held another maneuver using artillery in the Black Sea. According to the Ministry of Defence, the Black Sea Fleet exercise involved heavy artillery fire to practice destroying an enemy submarine.
