(TJV NEWS) A day after Western media reported that Russia would invade Ukraine on Wednesday, February 16th, 2022, Russian Major General Igor Konashenkov announced that all Russian troops would begin to be withdrawn from the border region.
Putin meanwhile has claimed he is pulling back some of the military, according to AP reports.
The initial report on Konashenkov’s statements was met with accusations against one of the most popular independent news blogs in the world, Zero Hedge, by the Biden administration who accused them of spreading Russian propaganda.
Russia’s state-run Tass news agency quoted Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov’s claim that Russian troops were packing their gear and preparing to depart on Wednesday morning.
“As the forces complete their military exercises, they will, as always, complete a multimodal march back to their permanent bases,” Konashenkov stated. “The divisions of the South and West Military Districts have finished their tasks and have already begun loading the rail and automobile transport, and today will begin moving back to their military garrisons.
The Defense Ministry statement implied that withdrawal could take some time because some of the units would be marching home on foot, in column formations, as part of their training.
The Russian Defense Ministry released images of tanks and howitzers rolling onto railway platforms and more tanks rolling across snowy fields. It did not disclose where or when the images were taken, or where the vehicles were headed, other than “to places of permanent deployment”, AP reported.
AP also noted:
Ukraine expressed skepticism about Russia’s statements on the pullback.
“We won’t believe when we hear, we’ll believe when we see. When we see troops pulling out, we’ll believe in de-escalation,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that “so far, we have not seen … any signs of reduced Russian military presence on the borders of Ukraine,” adding that the alliance wants to see a “significant and enduring withdrawal of forces, troops, and not least the heavy equipment.”
Russia is seizing the situation to bash the West.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, “15 February 2022 will go down in history as the day Western war propaganda failed,” she wrote, adding that the west has been “shamed and destroyed without firing a single shot.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday said the alleged conclusion of scheduled drills along the Ukrainian border countered “information terrorism” emanating from the United States and Europe.
AP is reporting:
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday he welcomed a security dialogue with the West as his military reported pulling back some of its troops near Ukraine — signals that may indicate the Kremlin has opted for a diplomatic path for now despite Western fears of an imminent Russian invasion of its neighbor.
Meanwhile, the statements of Major General Igor Konashenkov make it appear there is a full withdrawal.