More than 10,000 Russian soldiers return to their permanent bases

The Russian Interfax news agency, citing the Russian military, reported that more than ten thousand Russian soldiers had returned to their permanent bases after exercises near Ukraine.

Interfax said the exercises were conducted in several regions near Ukraine, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, as well as in southern Russia's Rostov and Kuban regions.

Russia's deployment of tens of thousands of troops in northern, eastern and southern Ukraine has raised fears in Kiev and western capitals that Moscow is planning an offensive.

Russia denies any such plans, saying it needs commitments from the West - including a NATO pledge not to expand the alliance eastward toward Russia's borders - because its security is threatened by Ukraine's growing ties with the Western alliance.

Moscow also says that it can deploy its forces on its soil as it sees fit.

Estimates of the number of Russian forces that have recently approached Ukraine range from 60,000 to 90,000, and a US intelligence document indicates that this number may rise to 175,000.

T/S

ANHA