Tuesday, April, 1, 2014, 14:25
The Ministry of Defense says that the number of Russian troops and equipment along the borders of Ukraine in recent days has become smaller. Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces command center Alexander Rozmaznin stated this at a briefing, Ukrainski Novyny reports.
“The situation on the eastern borders with the neighboring country has stabilized … The number of troops has reduced … And it is calmer there,” he said. At the same time, the official emphasized that there are still over 10,000 Russian soldiers on the Ukrainian border.
Rozmaznin also noted that the reduction of the military may be temporary and related to the replacement of conscripts serving in military units. Defense Ministry reports that in the central and western regions of Ukraine the situation remains calm and there is a certain stabilization of the situation in the breakaway Republic of Crimea. Also, according to Rozmaznin, there is improvement in negotiations with the military authorities of the Russian Federation. In addition, there has been some progress in negotiations with Ukraine’s Western partners, including the NATO countries. However, Rozmaznin stressed that the Ukrainian army needs not only military rations, but also new uniforms, equipment, and weapons.
As late as last week, senior officials recognized the threat of invasion on part of Russian troops to the mainland Ukraine and massing the military presence along the borders. Earlier, on March 18, the Ministry of Defense claimed that up to 25,000 Russian troops were present along the Ukraine -Russia border.
The original news in Ukrainian is on the Ukrainska Pravda website:
