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After weeks of tension and uncertainty, the Kremlin on Thursday announced the withdrawal of the troops, tactical battalions and tanks it had deployed for weeks on the border with Ukraine.
In a statement, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said he had ordered the return to their bases of several units that had moved to Dombs, in the border area between the two countries, and to the peninsula. of Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.
“The troops have demonstrated their ability to provide credible defense for the country,” Shoigu said.
The minister explained that he had asked several airborne unit and division commanders to start return to their permanent positions on Friday and complete the withdrawal transaction before May 1.
According to estimates from the European Union and the Ukrainian government, about 100,000 Russian soldiers, including several elite battalions, had been mobilized there since the end of March.
The growing military presence in the volatile area where the 2014 war took place – which claimed more than 14,000 lives – has alarmed not only Ukraine, but also the European Union, the United States and NATO.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, who had previously challenged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to meet him in the conflict zone, hailed Russia’s announcement to “ease” tensions, although he said his country would remain vigilant.
“The reduction of troops at our border proportionately reduces the tension. Ukraine will always be vile, but welcomes any measures aimed at reducing the military presence and reducing the situation in Dombs,” he wrote on Twitter.
NATO, which had held several emergency meetings, also said any action to reverse the escalation would be “important”, but said it would also remain on alert.
Ukraine and NATO have expressed concern over alleged Russian plans to limit areas of the Black Sea to foreign shipping in the coming months.
What was Russia looking for with this military deployment?
Analysis by Steven Rosenberg, BBC Moscow correspondent
Russia has always said that these movements are nothing more than military exercises.
But Moscow knew very well that its troop movements near Ukraine and in annexed Crimea made many people very nervous: in Ukraine, in Europe and in the United States.
And that was the point.
The Kremlin may have used the troop build-up to send a signal to Kiev, Brussels and especially Washington that Russia is a force to be reckoned with.
The president of the United States, Joe biden, He realised. Last week I called Putin and offered him a summit.
True, he also imposed a new round of sanctions for Russia’s “evil activity”. But in Moscow, these were not seen as particularly severe.
However, a reduction in tension does not mean the end of the tension.
The Russian Defense Minister made it clear that “Russia is taking action in response to NATO threats”.
For example, Moscow plans to block off areas of the Black Sea for six months.
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