Russia shows signs of de-escalation, to pull back some troops from Ukraine border

As the tensions between the two nations remain heightened at the moment, Russia has announced that they are planning to pull back some of the troops from the Ukraine border, indicating that the conflict between the two nations could be resolved soon.

Russia said that some of the troops posted near the Ukrainian border will be returning to their bases after the completion of drills, which can further lead to the de-escalation of the tensions between the countries, leading to the easing of the crisis between the Western nations.

Reports came out that Russia had deployed over 160,000 troops near the borders of Ukraine, which led to increased tensions between Russia and the West, which alleged that it was the former’s attempt to invade the neighbouring country.

Though the US and NATO both alleged that Russia is planning to invade Ukraine, as indicated by the deployment of troops at its borders, Russian President Vladimir Putin denied all such allegations. US President Joe Biden also believed that Russia is planning to launch its attack on February 16.

Indicating the de-escalation of the situation, Russian defence forces said that some of the troops deployed near the border of Ukraine had completed their military exercises and are ready to pack up and return to their permanent bases.

Russian defence ministry’s chief spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, told Russian news agencies, “Units of the Southern and Western military districts, having completed their tasks, have already begun loading onto rail and road transport and today they will begin moving to their military garrisons.”

Mocking the Western intelligence that claimed that Russia is planning to launch its attack on Ukraine on February 15, a diplomat from the country said, “February 15, 2022, will go down in history as the day when Western war propaganda failed.”

It is not yet clear how many troops will be withdrawn from the Ukraine border by Russia. Further, Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters, “We have a rule: don't believe what you hear, believe what you see. When we see a withdrawal, we will believe in a de-escalation.”