You're reading: Ukrainian border guards confirm withdrawal of Russian troops from border

The Ukrainian State Border Service has observed a withdrawal of Russian troops from the bilateral border but is wary of the remaining infrastructure.

“Our information suggests troops’ withdrawal from our border is under
way, but with certain peculiarities. Intelligence radio units, radio
interception units remain in place, so does the logistical
infrastructure of the camps. This process (the troops’ withdrawal) is
stretched over time, but such a process is under way,” Ukrainian State
Border Guard Service Chief Mykola Lytvyn told a press conference in Kyiv
on Wednesday.

He said that in his view, “the infrastructure that remains gives the
possibility to return again at any time, so there is no complete
withdrawal.”

On May 23, the chief of the Russian Army General Staff, Army Gen.
Valery Gerasimov said that the Troops of the Western and Southern
military districts, which were carrying out routine drills at training
sites near the Russian-Ukrainian border, had started returning to their
bases on May 19. He said the return would take “about twenty days.”

Earlier Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Defense Minister
Sergei Shoigu to bring back the troops which were participating in the
drills in areas sharing a border with Ukraine.