Russia Announced Withdrawal of Troops from the Border with Ukraine

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered to start returning the troops participating in drills in the Southern and Western Military Districts near the border with Ukraine to their permanent stations from April 23. According to RBC with reference to the Russian minister, the troops will have returned to their permanent stations by May 1. "I believe that the surprise inspection’s goals have been achieved in full. The troops demonstrated ability to reliably defend the country. Therefore, I have made a decision to complete the inspection measures in the Southern and Western Military Districts," Shoigu said and added that the Russian armed forces  "respond appropriately to all changes in the situation near the Russian borders.” According to him, during the surprise checks in the Crimea, antilanding coastal defense actions were worked out, involved in the exercise were the Bal and Bastion coastal missile systems, Inokhodets unmanned aerial vehicles, Raptor patrol boats, as well as "other newest and promising weapons". Since the end of March, Kyiv and Western countries have announced that Russia is pulling troops to the borders of Ukraine. The troops buildup took place amid the aggravation of the situation in Donbass, where shelling became more frequent on the contact line. In the EU, the Russian troops deployment near the border with Ukraine was called "the most ambitious in history." According to the EU's foreign policy service, Russia has deployed 100,000 troops there. The Ministry of Defense explained the troops buildup was due to the exercises.