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
