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Russia on Wednesday (February 16th) said military exercises in Moscow-annexed Crimea were over and that soldiers were returning to their garrisons, a day after announcing the first withdrawal of troops from Ukraine.
“Southern Military District units, after completing their participation in tactical exercises, are moving to their permanent deployment points,” the Moscow Defense Ministry said in a statement.
State television showed images of military units crossing a bridge connecting the Russian-controlled peninsula with Russia.
The statement said tanks, infantry vehicles and artillery were leaving Crimea by rail.
This comes a day after Moscow said it was withdrawing some of its troops deployed on its neighbor’s borders.
But Western leaders remain concerned that Russia could launch another offensive against Ukraine, with US President Joe Biden warning on Tuesday that an attack by Moscow remains “a real possibility”.
Biden said that despite Russian claims earlier in the day, Washington and its allies have not yet verified the withdrawal of any of the tens of thousands of troops he says Moscow has now gathered along Ukraine’s border.
If Russia invades Ukraine, this would not be the first time.
Russia annexed the Ukrainian Peninsula of Crimea in 2014.
The country also supports rebels in conflicts in eastern Ukraine, in which some 14,000 people have died.
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