Ukraine: In First Signs of De-escalation, Some Russian Troops Reportedly Retreat

Confirmation for the same and the exact number of troops hasn't yet been provided by Ukrainian or NATO officials.

Image used for representational purposes only. 

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@beautyller)

The Defence Ministry of the Russian Federation said on Tuesday, 15 February, that some of its troops deployed at the Ukrainian border were being withdrawn, in what seems to be first major sign of de-escalation in the Russia-Ukraine border crisis.

Russian troops were reportedly getting on trains and trucks to return to their garrisons.

Confirmation for the same hasn't yet been provided by Ukrainian or NATO officials.

Additionally, the exact number of troops that has been withdrawn is yet to be determined.

Russian state television broadcast videos of tanks as they were loaded onto rail cars.

A Defense Ministry spokesperson, however, said that military exercises in Belarus and in the Black Sea will continue, according to The New York Times.

"Units of the southern and western military districts, having completed their tasks, have already begun loading onto rail and road transport and will begin moving to their military garrisons today. As the combat training events are completed, the troops, as always, will march in a combined way to their permanent deployment points."

Igor Konashenkov, Spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry

A Russian foreign ministry spokesperson wrote in a Facebook post that "February 15 2022 will go into history as the day western war propaganda failed."

"They have been disgraced and destroyed without a single shot being fired", Maria Zakharova added in the post.

Retreating troops, in this case, are the ones were are stationed at military districts closest to Ukraine.

Russian troops still remain quite close to the country, despite the retreat.

Troops in other regions in Russia's Far East would continue to be stationed near Ukraine.

The threat of war, therefore, hasn't disappeared. It has only been diminished.

Tensions between Russia, Ukraine, NATO, and the US, that had led Russia to mobilise more than 100,000 troops at the Ukrainian border, have been simmering for more three months.

One of the key disagreements between Russia and the other countries revolves around Ukraine potentially joining NATO.

Russia has warned against the move, while the Ukrainian Constitution consists of clauses that seek NATO membership for the country.

You can read about the crisis in detail here. A brief history and background of Russo-Ukrainian tensions can be found here.