Russia says troops to pull back from Ukraine border

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and Russian military commanders walk upon arrival to
watch a military exercise near St. Petersburg, Russia, March 3, 2014. AP
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday offered further assurances that his country
was not on the verge of invading eastern Ukraine, telling reporters that Russian troops "will be
returning to the place of their permanent quarters as soon as" military exercises close to the two
nations' shared border wrapped up.
Lavrov, however, accused the Ukrainian government "and their patrons in the West of blowing this
out of proportion," adding that Russia did not violate any international norms by sending additional
troops to its own borders.
U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, who commands all NATO forces in Europe, said Russia has
40,000 troops along the border with neighboring Ukraine, and that they are capable of attacking by
land and air on 12 hours' notice.

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The sheer size and posture of its forces are destabilizing although the Russians' plans remain
unknown to NATO, Breedlove said. Russian leaders have assured their American counterparts that
there are no plans in Moscow to invade eastern Ukraine.
On Tuesday, NATO's foreign ministers ordered an end to civilian and military cooperation with
Russia and told their generals and admirals to quickly figure out ways to better protect alliance
members that feel threatened by Vladimir Putin's Kremlin.
Earlier this week, NATO downplayed reports of a Russian troop withdrawal from areas along its
border with Ukraine. Russia's Defense Ministry on Monday said one battalion -- about 500 troops -had pulled back.

"This is not what we have seen," NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters Tuesday. "And
this massive military buildup can in no way contribute to a de-escalation of the situation -- a deescalation that we all want to see -- so I continue to urge Russia to pull back its troops, live up to its
international obligation and engage in a constructive dialogue with Ukraine."
Also Thursday, authorities in Kiev said they had detained several members of an elite riot police unit
on suspicion of shooting protesters during bloody anti-government clashes in February that left
more than 100 dead.
The Prosecutor General's Office said those detained include the head of a company in the Berkut riot
police who allegedly handed out weapons for use against demonstrators.
A government report was to be released later Thursday on the events on Feb. 18-20.

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The identity of the snipers is disputed. The interim government says Yanukovych ordered snipers to
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Yanukovych also said he "was wrong" in inviting Russian troops into Crimea, which was swiftly
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questions about whether he would support any Russian move into other areas of Ukraine on the
pretext of protecting ethnic Russians.
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