Putin Withdraws Troops from Crimea

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Jumat, 19 Oktober 2018 20:39 WIB

A T-72B Russian tank manouvers shortly after Russian tanks arrived at a train station in the Crimean settlement of Gvardeiskoye near the Crimean city of Simferopol (31/3). Russia is withdrawing a motorized infantry battalion from a region near Ukraine's eastern border, the Russian Defence Ministry was quoted as saying by state news agencies on Monday. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

TEMPO.CO, Moscow - Russian President Vladimir Putin has pulled out a motorised infantry battalion from a region near Ukraine's eastern border, according to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. As cited by Al Jazeera, Putin told Merkel that he had ordered a partial withdrawal of Russian forces from the region.

Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the battalion was heading back to its permanent base in Russia's Samara region after completing training in the Ukrainian border. "In recent days, the Russian forces have been gradually withdrawing from the border," Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskiy, Ukraine's Defence Ministry spokesman, said.

The withdrawal was in light of North Atlantic Treaty Organization meeting in Brussels, Belgium. Over the weekend, both the United States and European Union estimated that Russia's sudden military buildup along Ukraine's eastern frontier had reached between 30,000 and 40,000 soldiers.

AL JAZEERA | TIME | CORNILA DESYANA

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