Russian troops end drill at border with Ukraine

More than 10,000 troops are returning to their permanent bases and stand-by units will be readied for the New Year’s holidays.

This satellite image taken by Maxar Technologies on December 22 shows Russian ground forces deployed at the Opuk training area. Picture: AFP

Russia announced late on Saturday that more than 10,000 troops had finished month-long drills near Ukraine, amid Western accusations that Moscow was plotting an invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbour.

The Defence Ministry said the drills for Southern Military District forces had taken place in a host of southern regions including Rostov, Krasnodar and Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014.

But the drills also took place further afield, including in Stavropol, Astrakhan, North Caucasus republics and even in Russia’s Caucasus ally, Armenia.

The Defence Ministry said the troops were returning to their permanent bases and that standby units would be readied for the New Year’s holidays.

Western countries have accused Russia of massing upwards of 100,000 troops near Ukraine ahead of a possible winter invasion. According to Kiev’s estimates, the number of Russian troops along Ukraine’s borders has increased from around 93,000 in October to 104,000 now.

Russia denies it is planning a large-scale attack. It has presented the West with sweeping security demands, saying NATO must not admit new members and seeking to bar the US from establishing new bases in former Soviet republics.

Tensions reached a boiling point on Wednesday when President Vladimir Putin said Russia would take “appropriate retaliatory” military steps in response to the West’s “aggressive stance”. But he lowered the volume the next day, saying he had seen a “positive” reaction from the US and said talks would take place next month. A senior US official has said Washington was “ready to engage in diplomacy” through “multiple channels”. On Saturday, a German official said Moscow and Berlin had agreed to a meeting in “early January”.

AFP