Russian Defense Ministry says its tanks return to permanent barracks after bordering Ukraine

Tank units from the Russian West military district, bordering Ukraine, are heading to their permanent locations after completing their participation in scheduled military exercises, the Russian Defense Ministry reported today.

The tanks and armored vehicles, in a number that was not communicated, were loaded on railway platforms that were directed towards the usual barracks, located at a distance of about 1,000 kilometers, according to the military report.

Defense did not specify the place where the armored forces carried out their exercises.

This withdrawal is part of the beginning, announced this Tuesday, of the return to their permanent headquarters of the units that have already concluded the exercises in the West and South military constituencies, the latter also bordering Ukraine.

“The units of the military districts of the South and West, having completed their tasks, have already begun to load (the equipment) in rail transport and in means of road transport and begin to move to their military garrisons”, highlighted Defense in your statement.

This Wednesday, early in the morning, the Russian Ministry of Defense already announced that the units of the Southern District that concluded the military exercises in the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, annexed in 2014, return to their permanent headquarters.

At the same time, the Russian Armed Forces continue extensive activities for the training of troops, in which practically all military constituencies, fleets and airborne troops participate.

Members of the Eastern military constituency and airborne forces participate in the “Allied Determination-2022” exercises, which take place in Belarus and are scheduled to end on the 20th.

The announced start of the return of Russian troops to their barracks casts some doubts in the West about the de-escalation of tensions around the situation in Ukraine, and says that this has yet to be verified.

The Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, stated this Wednesday that for the moment they have not seen any de-escalation on the ground after Russia reported that it was going to withdraw some of the troops concentrated next to Ukraine, but that it could even be increasing those forces.

“We have heard signals from Moscow about its willingness to continue diplomatic efforts, but so far we have not seen any de-escalation on the ground; on the contrary, it seems that Russia continues with the military reinforcement, ”said Stoltenberg upon his arrival at a meeting of allied defense ministers.

Ukraine, along whose borders Russia has concentrated more than 100,000 troops, declared that the withdrawal of some Russian military units from its borders will be believed when it sees it with its own eyes.

“There are different statements from the Russian Federation all the time. We have a rule: we don’t believe it when we hear it, but when we see it,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba.