Russia says it is withdrawing some troops from areas near Ukraine, but major exercises continue

The Russian Defense Ministry said troops from its southern and western military districts – and parts of them neighboring Ukraine – They began to return to their original positions, although the announcement did not specifically mention where those forces were permanently located, or where they were practicing their exercises, or how many they would withdraw.

“In the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, there is a complex of large-scale operational training measures for troops, in which almost all military districts, fleets and airborne forces participate,” he said. As part of the testing of the reaction forces of the Union state, a joint Russian-Belarusian exercise entitled “Allied Resolution 2022” is being conducted on the territory of the Republic of Belarus.

Ω In addition, Konashenkov said a series of naval exercises – involving surface ships, submarines and naval aviation – are taking place in “operationally important areas of the world’s oceans” and in waters adjacent to Russian territory.

“Exercises are continuing with military formations and units at other training grounds on the territory of the Russian Federation,” he said. “A number of combat training measures, including exercises, were carried out according to plan,” he added.

Moscow’s announcement, which was met with skepticism from Ukrainian officials, came a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was still room for a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

“If we are prepared to listen to some counter-proposals, it seems to me that our possibilities are far from being exhausted,” replied Lavrov, sitting at the opposite end of a very long table.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed doubts about the Russian forces’ announcement at a press conference in Kiev on Tuesday.

“Different statements are constantly being made from the Russian Federation, so we already have a rule:” Do not listen and then believe. But look and then believe. “When we see the withdrawal, we will believe in de-escalation.”

Meanwhile, the flurry of high-level diplomacy continued on Tuesday as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz became the latest leader to travel to Moscow for talks.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the return of some Russian troops to their bases, noting during a press briefing on Tuesday that this was a “normal process” after the completion of military exercises.

But while the Kremlin was talking about bringing troops home, satellite images released by Maxar Technologies revealed new signs of a surge in Russian forces.

An analysis of images showed that over the past few days at least 60 helicopters have landed at a previously vacant air base in Russia-occupied Crimea.

Helicopters are a mixture of transport and attack aircraft. Archival satellite imagery reviewed by CNN indicates that the base at Lake Donozlav on the northwest coast of Crimea – an area Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 – has been vacant since at least 2003.