Russia "Partially withdrawing troops from the border with Ukraine"

Amid growing fears of a military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, on the 17th (local time), Volodymyr Zelensky (center), President of Ukraine, is inspecting the eastern front of the Donetsk region with the military leadership. This area is where the Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatist rebels are confronting each other.

Russia announced on the 18th (local time) that it is returning additional troops and military equipment after completing military exercises near the Ukraine border.

The Russian Ministry of Defense issued a statement saying, "Another military train carrying personnel and equipment of the tank units belonging to the Western Military District has completed the scheduled training and returned to its permanent base in the Nizhny Novgorod region," according to AFP and other foreign media reports.

This movement included 30 large vehicles carrying troops, special equipment, and military supplies. The Russian Ministry of Defense added that these troops will prepare military equipment for the next phase of winter training as soon as they arrive at the base.

Separately, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that 10 fighter jets have withdrawn from the Crimean Peninsula.

Earlier, Russian Interfax news agency cited a Russian Ministry of Defense official saying that several mechanized infantry units completed training in the Crimean Peninsula and returned to their main bases in Dagestan and Chechnya.

It also reported that the Russian Black Sea Fleet redeployed 10 Sukhoi (Su)-24 bombers stationed in the Crimean Peninsula to reserve airfields in other regions as part of military training.

Amid repeated warnings from the United States, the United Kingdom, and others about the high possibility of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been announcing since the 15th that some troops and equipment have completed training and returned to their main bases daily.

However, the United States and others view Russia's claims of withdrawal as false. They suspect that some units and equipment are being rotated and that Russia could launch an attack against Ukraine at any time.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.