Ukraine conflict
More soldiers withdrawn: Russia declares military maneuvers in Crimea over
A convoy of Russian armored vehicles in Crimea (stock image)
©AP/DPA
The exercises in Crimea are over: According to the Kremlin, after the partial withdrawal of Russian troops on Tuesday, more soldiers returned to their bases.
Russia continues its announced partial troop withdrawal after maneuvers end amid conflict with Ukraine. Several units involved in exercises in Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea have now returned to their locations, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. The state agency Ria Novosti released a video showing a train with tanks and other military vehicles on the Crimean Bridge in the dark.
The bridge leads from the peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014 to the Russian mainland. It was not initially disclosed how many soldiers were involved. The military is also permanently stationed on the peninsula.
Russia justified mobilization with military exercises
In view of the massive deployment of troops on the border with Ukraine, the West fears a Russian attack on the neighboring country. The USA had named this Wednesday as a possible invasion date. On Tuesday, however, shortly before the meeting between Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow announced that some of the troops would be withdrawn from the border. However, other maneuvers such as the exercise in neighboring Belarus continued. Moscow rejects any plans of attack and justifies the mobilization of troops in the west of the country with military exercises. At the same time, the Kremlin has repeatedly stated in recent weeks that it feels threatened by NATO.
The West had reacted with extreme concern to the Russian maneuvers. The US fears that the troop movements and a deployment of tens of thousands of soldiers along the Ukrainian border are in preparation for war. Russia rejects this.