Russia withdraws portion of troops from border with Ukraine

Russia's Southern Military District is returning 10,000 troops to their permanent bases after a month of "field training."

The military are returning after exercises at the Astrakhan, Volgograd and Rostov regions, the Stavropol and Krasnodar regions, the North Caucasus, and Russia's military bases in Armenia, occupied Crimea, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the Echo of Moscow reports.

"More than 10,000 servicemen will march to the places of their permanent deployment from the territory of the general military training grounds," the statement said.

Battalion tactical groups and "tactical groups of troops of all formations and air defense units" participated in the training.

According to the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, 122,000 Russian military are positioned at a distance of 200 kilometers and 143,500 troops at a distance of 400 kilometers from Ukraine's border.