Putin orders Russian troop back from Ukraine border

Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian forces on the border with Ukraine back to their bases, the Kremlin said yesterday.

It was the third announcement of a Russian troop withdrawal since the buildup on the border started in March, and experts said this time it might actually happen.

Previous withdrawal announcements have not been borne out by developments on the ground, Nato has said. On April 28th Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu told his US counterpart, Chuck Hagel, that Russian forces had returned to their places of permanent deployment. On May 7th Mr Putin said Russia had pulled back from the border.

Nato said after both instances it had not seen evidence of a pullback, and last week the US government published satellite photos that it said showed Russian forces still massed near the Ukrainian border.

'Routine training'
Yesterday the Kremlin said in a statement it was pulling back forces from three regions along the Ukrainian border.

“In connection with the completion of the routine springtime training phase for troops that involved their deployment to training grounds in the Rostov, Belgorod and Bryansk regions, among others, the president of Russia gave the command to the defence minister to return the troops taking part in the exercises to their home bases,” the Kremlin said.

A Nato officer reportedly said it had seen no sign of troop movements. The White House said later it had seen no indication yet of any movement of Russian troops away from the border. "We would know and we would be able to confirm for you" if the troops had moved, White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

However, Russian defence experts said troops would need at least 24 hours to begin moving. The fact that Russia’s national security council held a special meeting with Mr Putin yesterday also lent weight to the announcement.

“This time it could actually be true because it’s time to withdraw, it’s time to demobilise the soldiers, it’s time to step down,” said defence analyst Pavel Felgenhauer.

According to Mr Felgenhauer, the decision is mainly based on the need to send home the one-year conscripts that form the backbone of the Russian army and focus energies on drawing up this year’s class. Ultimately, he said, Mr Putin decided against invading eastern Ukraine due to the risks involved and because the situation of the Kiev government was already tenuous.

“You had to make a decision to go or not to go, and threats of western sanctions were a significant factor,” Mr Felgenhauer added.

Anton Lavrov, an independent analyst who monitors troop movements, said he had not yet seen any troops withdrawing but the test would come today. "If they actually go back to home base this will be a big de-escalation." – (Guardian service)