MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered troops deployed near Ukraine to return
to their home bases and praised the launch of a dialogue between the Ukrainian government and its
opponents even as fighting continued in the eastern parts of the country.
Putin specifically ordered Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to pull back forces involved in “planned spring
drills” in the Rostov, Belgorod and Bryansk regions to their home bases, the Kremlin said. The order
appears to go further than a similar statement by the Russian leader two weeks ago that troops were
being pulled back from the border to shooting ranges.
The three regions border Ukraine and the withdrawal of troops deployed there to other Russian provinces
would signal a genuine attempt by Moscow to de-escalate the worst crisis in its relations with the West
since the Cold War. It also would be easily verifiable by Western intelligence.
The United States and NATO said they saw no sign of a pullout after Putin’s earlier claim of a
withdrawal, and NATO on Monday said it didn’t see any immediate movements to validate the latest
assertions.
The Kremlin statement didn’t say how many troops would be pulled out from the three regions or specify
how quick the withdrawal would be.
Putin’s move appears to represent an attempt to ease tensions with the West and avoid another round of
crippling sanctions. The U.S. and the European Union have slapped travel bans and asset freezes on
members of Putin’s entourage over Russia’s annexation of Crimea. They threatened to target entire
sectors of the Russian economy with sanctions if Russia tries to derail Ukraine’s presidential vote set
for Sunday.
Pro-Russian rebels, who have seized government buildings in eastern Ukraine and fought government troops,
have declared two sprawling provinces independent and vowed to block Sunday’s vote. Ukraine and the West
have accused Russia of fomenting the mutiny, claims Russia has denied.
Facing Western pressure, Putin supported a peace plan for settling the crisis, which was brokered by the
Swiss chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The OSCE road map aims to halt the violence and de-escalate tensions ahead of the vote, by offering an
amnesty for those involved in the unrest and urging talks on decentralization and the status of the
Russian language. The OSCE also has sent an observer mission for the election.
The first round tables under the plan were held in Ukraine last week, but the government refused to
invite representatives of rebels in the east, whom it dubbed “separatists” and “terrorists.”
Even though the Russian Foreign Ministry has criticized the round tables for failing to include the
government’s foes, Putin welcomed them as an attempt to establish dialogue.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also sounded warmer regarding the round tables, calling them a “step in
the right direction.”
Putin and Lavrov urged the Ukrainian authorities to immediately end a military operation in eastern
Ukraine, where fighting continued on Monday. Pro-Russian insurgents fired on a Ukrainian army
check-point near a television tower outside the eastern city of Slovyansk, killing one soldier and
wounding three, Ukraine’s defense ministry said.
AP journalists also witnessed mortar fire hitting the village of Andriyivka, just outside Slovyansk.
While it was impossible to confirm who fired the mortars, the shelling appeared to come from the
Ukrainian government troops’ positions, damaging a gas main running across a field and onto local
residents’ lands. The pipeline caught fire, but no residents were hurt.
Slovyansk has been the epicenter of fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian insurgents, who
have seized government buildings across the east.
Ukraine’s central government has urged rebels to lay down arms and sit down for talks, but they say they
are only prepared to discuss the withdrawal of government troops.
Amid the tensions, Ukraine and Russia traded accusations over two Russian journalists, who were arrested
by Ukrainian forces near Slovyansk on Sunday.
The Ukrainian military said the two men, who had press accreditation with Life News, a Kremlin-connected
TV channel, were with pro-Russian insurgents and were filming preparations for an attack outside
Slovyansk. Russia has protested the arrest and asked the OSCE to assist their release.