MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian
President Vladimir Putin has ordered military forces to return to their
permanent bases after drills in three regions bordering Ukraine, the
Kremlin said on Monday.
Putin's office
says he had issued the order because the spring maneuvers were over. Also, its possible the move is intended to ease tension in Russia's standoff with
the West over Ukraine before Kiev holds a presidential election on
Sunday.
In Brussels, however, a
NATO military officer said the military alliance had seen no sign of
the Russian troops returning to their bases.
"We haven't seen any movement to validate (the report)," the officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.
The
Kremlin said in a statement that Putin had ordered his defense chief to
return troops that had been involved in exercises in the border
provinces of Rostov, Bryansk and Belgorod to their "places of permanent
deployment".
NATO has said
Russia has amassed some 40,000 troops near the border with Ukraine, and
Putin has reserved the right to send forces in to protect
Russian-speakers if necessary.
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