Russian forces have begun pulling away from Ukraine's border, says Russia's defence ministry

[AntiFascist]

Source: Euronews

Russian forces deployed near Ukraine's border have begun returning to their garrisons, says Russia's defence ministry.

Major General Igor Konashenkov, the defense ministry's spokesperson, said on Tuesday morning that "as the military military training activities are over, as always, marches will be carried out in a combined way to permanent dislocation points."

"The units of the Southern and Western military districts that have completed their tasks have already started loading railroad and motor vehicles and today they will start moving into their military garrisons," he added in a video released on Facebook.

This constitutes the first sign of de-escalation from Moscow.

Read more: https://www.euronews.com/2022/02/15/russian-forces-have-begun-pulling-away-from-ukraine-s-border-says-russia-s-defence-ministr

[applegrove]

1. Oh thank God.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. NYT breaking too

Russia says some troops are returning to their bases, but other large-scale military drills continue.



MOSCOW — Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that some of the troops gathered around Ukraine were being loaded onto trains and trucks and sent back to their garrisons, a tentative sign that Russia could be stepping away from the threat of an invasion. The Defense Ministry’s announcement was the most concrete signal yet that Russia might be trying to de-escalate the military standoff on the Ukrainian border, but it was far from clear that the threat of war had passed.

It couldn’t be determined how many troops were being pulled back, and a Defense Ministry spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, said that some military exercises that have raised fears of an attack against Ukraine — including in Belarus and in the Black Sea — were continuing. Defense Minister Sergei K. Shoigu on Monday appeared to characterize Russia’s enormous troop buildup around Ukraine as part of “large-scale drills” being carried out by the military. He told President Vladimir V. Putin in a stage-managed meeting broadcast on state television that some of those drills were now ending.

On Tuesday, Mr. Konashenkov said in a televised statement that some troops were already heading back to their bases. Russian state television aired footage of tanks being loaded onto rail cars, describing it as images of troops headed back to their garrisons. “Units of the southern and western military districts, having completed their tasks, have already begun loading onto rail and road transport and will begin moving to their military garrisons today,” Mr. Konashenkov said. “A number of combat training events, including exercises, have been carried out according to plan,” Mr. Konashenkov said.

“As the combat training events are completed, the troops, as always, will march in a combined way to their permanent deployment points.” The troops that Mr. Konashenkov said are being pulled back are from the military districts closest to Ukraine — meaning troops will remain relatively close to the country even if they are pulled back to their bases. His statement indicated that troops that have arrived in the region from farther away — Siberia and Russia’s Far East — would remain deployed near Ukraine for now. There was no immediate confirmation from Ukrainian or Western officials that a Russian pullback was in fact occurring.

(snip)

— Anton Troianovski and Ivan Nechepurenko

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/15/world/russia-ukraine-news/russia-says-some-troops-are-returning-to-their-bases-but-other-large-scale-military-drills-continue

[AntiFascist]

3. NYT also points out...

The troops that Mr. Konashenkov said are being pulled back are from the military districts closest to Ukraine — meaning troops will remain relatively close to the country even if they are pulled back to their bases. His statement indicated that troops that have arrived in the region from farther away — Siberia and Russia’s Far East — would remain deployed near Ukraine for now.

There was no immediate confirmation from Ukrainian or Western officials that a Russian pullback was in fact occurring.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. I am going to assume

there is no way that Putin is going to be "overt" enough to appear to "blink". So when it comes to stuff like this, there has to be an exit strategy that maintains the appearance of "status quo" with respect to who is in control, but an altered version of the field that takes it back a notch nonetheless, and they can go from there.

[BigmanPigman]

4. I trust Putin as much as I trust tRump.

[SheltieLover]

12. This!👆

Two of the same!

[Dr. Shepper]

20. Exactly. Eom

[AngryOldDem]

24. Yep.

I’ve heard more caution than celebration over this news.

[artemisia1]

45. Because of his unpredictability and unhinged personality, I trust FORMER President Trump much

less than Russian President Vladimir Putin who is, at least predictable...

[BigmanPigman]

47. Good point.

[Sherman A1]

6. If true it is good news

[quakerboy]

8. This, 100%

[BumRushDaShow]

7. From Reuters (including an interesting financial note)

February 15, 2022
4:47 AM EST
Last Updated 16 min ago

Russia returns some troops to base in areas near Ukraine - report

Reuters



MOSCOW, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Some troops in Russia's military districts adjacent to Ukraine are returning to their bases after completing drills, Russia's defence ministry was quoted as saying on Tuesday. Russia's Interfax news agency cited the ministry as saying that while large-scale drills across the country continued, some units of the Southern and Western military districts had completed their exercises and started returning to base.

The reported movements run counter to warnings from the United States and Britain that Russia may be poised to invade Ukraine at any time. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Britain would need to see a full-scale removal of Russian troops from the border with Ukraine to believe that Moscow has no plans for an invasion.

Video footage provided by the defence ministry and published by the RIA news agency showed some tanks and other armoured vehicles being loaded onto railway flatcars. The ministry said it would use trucks to move some hardware while some troops would march to bases on their own.

(snip)

Russian markets reacted positively to the news and the rouble , which has been under pressure due to fears of fresh Western sanctions in the event of a war, gained 1.5% shortly after the defence ministry announcement.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-returns-some-troops-bases-areas-near-ukraine-report-2022-02-15/

"Russian markets reacted positively".

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

ETA, or more accurately - ₽₽₽₽₽₽₽₽₽₽₽₽₽₽₽₽₽₽₽₽₽

[multigraincracker]

14. Pre-Market here

Cruise Lines are up and Oil stocks are down.
I like to follow the money.

[BumRushDaShow]

16. Earlier this morning I had heard the Dow futures were up over 300 points

At post time, they're up over 400 points. WTI crude down almost $3/bbl.

[Skittles]

9. I wonder if Putin's tiny member goes flaccid with this kind of development

I bet it does

[smb]

17. He Can Form A Support Group With His Trumpy Bear nt

[elleng]

19. Prolly does.

Just learned that he's 'only' about 5'7" tall, which may explain a lot.

(Glad most mere mortals are not so damaged by simple facts of life.)

[Ligyron]

22. Napoleon Syndrome.

One of my battalion commanders had that affliction. I ran his legal department at one time and boy was I busy.

[BumRushDaShow]

36. "Just learned that he's 'only' about 5'7" tall"

Here is is with Obama (who is 6'2" ) - pic that is in my sig...



(As FYI - Biden is 6'0" )

[roamer65]

37. That's my president giving him the stink eye.

[JudyM]

41. "Stature" embodied.

[elleng]

48. Love it!

[Aviation Pro]

10. доверяй, но проверяй

Trust, but verify.

[blue-wave]

11. Let's hope and pray it's true

If this was a game to pressure the West, Putin sure likes to play with fire. One small slip could set off a powder keg that embroils the whole world. I heard he likes to take chances, but this was/is extremely dangerous.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

13. If true. Could be a feint to get everyone to relax just before dropping the hammer

I sincerely hope it is for real.

[BumRushDaShow]

18. Technically they can ignore what they "say"

and just look at the satellite images (and there are a ton of sats up there) of what they are "doing".

Then you finally have Germany (who has those huge gas pipelines from Russia going to the rest of Europe) and Scholz finally making a trip to Moscow -

(Nord Stream & Nordstream2 pipelines... and apparently part of Scholz's coalition want that as a bargaining chip... chaCHING!)

Scholz is definitely not Merkel but he has some itchy parties in his government who want to force him to act.

[vercetti2021]

15. I would still be on guard

I would never trust the word of a Russian

[ashredux]

21. Head fake....

[liberalla]

23. Initially this sounds good, but I want confirmation from outside sources and satellites that

the pull back and departure is real. I am hoping it is.

[Aussie105]

25. So . . .

You send 100 attack dogs to your neighbor's fence line.

Then add 30 more.

Neighbor complains.

So you take 30 dogs back to their kennels.

And the whole neighborhood comes out with a sigh of relief, and think the problem is solved?

Don't think so.

[MyMission]

26. Exactly!

I had the same thought.

Take one step back, regroup, then...charge!

Or continue the dance and take 2 steps forward, one back, until they achieve putins goal.

[dalton99a]

28. +1

[intrepidity]

43. Especially when those 30 kennels are just a few feet from the fence anyway

while the other 100 kennels are in a barn way down the hill.

[bucolic_frolic]

27. It was a test, a probe to seek weakness.

They didn't find any, and made their point.

The world is still defined by post-war Iron Curtain mentality. It's good in a way, what stability that provided remains intact.

[lookyhereyou]

29. I agree with the feeling of distrust.

Head fake....shell game ...

leaving artillery and rockets and ship troop carriers in place

moving some troops ... big show ,

how long does it take to turn the trains and marching troops around.

one order !

THIS IS NOT THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE !

nor is it in their interest .

[Beastly Boy]

30. Which direction?

Away from the border towards Moscow or away from the border towards Kyiv?

[Ghost Dog]

39. Disappointing, huh? Nt

[BootinUp]

31. I am crossing my fingers

that this latest man-made crisis is averted.

[turbinetree]

32. Yeah that's what he said in the Black Sea area of Crimea.....

[dalton99a]

33. NATO has not seen any sign of de-escalation.

The Defense Ministry’s announcement was the strongest sign yet that Russia might be trying to de-escalate the military standoff on the Ukrainian border. NATO’s secretary general urged caution, saying the alliance had “not seen any sign of de-escalation.”

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/15/world/russia-ukraine-news

[The Jungle 1]

34. Trump says we can trust Putin

So there you have it.

[ificandream]

35. Thank God.

[sarisataka]

40. Oh, well alright then.

I guess the Ukrainian army can go home. It was all just a misunderstanding.

[Bayard]

42. So then,

What about this thread that says they're moving into attack position?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142870564

War Games.

[AntiFascist]

46. I've heard that Putin has to make a decision around mid February...

something about having optimal ice/snow conditions on the ground for moving tanks?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

44. Let's hope this isn't a bluff

[AntiFascist]

50. LOL, CNN even created foreboding theme music at one point n/t

[AntiFascist]

51. Stinger missile vs. Russian helicopter...

https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-tactical/stinger-missile-proximity-fuse/

How the legendary Stinger missile is about to get more dangerous

But with a proximity fuse, a missile that would otherwise be a near-miss will still go off, generating as much damage and shrapnel as it can. That means the helicopter that would be pivoting to attack is now suffering from damage. Hopefully, the damage is in the cockpit, control surfaces, or engine. A proximity detonation might even still be enough to destroy the target outright.

If not, then at least the crew on the ground has some breathing room as the air crew tries to get an idea of how damaged they are. This could be enough time for troops on the ground to get under cover or concealment or even to get off another shot.

This is especially useful against drones which typically don’t require as much damage to be completely destroyed. And, considering just how much more prevalent drones are becoming, that could be key for future air defenders trying to maintain an air defense umbrella as Chinese or Russian forces test their defenses. All four Department of Defense branches carry the missile in combat.

[AntiFascist]

52. Sorry, I should have added...

https://breakingdefense.com/2022/01/baltic-nations-sending-us-made-stingers-javelins-to-ukraine/

WASHINGTON: The defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania today announced they have received approvals from Washington to send US-made anti-tank weaponry to Ukraine, as the latter nation seeks to defend itself against a potential Russian invasion.

Estonia will provide Javelin anti-armor missiles, while Lithuania and Latvia will provide Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and adjacent equipment. Latvia will also send military meals ready-to-eat for the Ukrainian forces. It is not clear exactly when the weapons could arrive in Ukraine, but a statement from the three ministers pledged the countries would “co-operate to deliver weapons to Ukraine expeditiously.”

While Ukraine has already been building a stockpile of Javelin weapons, the inclusion of Stingers represents a new capability for the Ukrainian military, one that could take out Russian helicopters if needed.

[EndlessWire]

53. It constitutes nothing.

This would be wonderful news, if it is true. Let's wait, however, until we see it on the satellite images. And, more than just a few.

Everything that I have read says that Putin is holding out for a NATO document stating that Ukraine will never be allowed to join NATO, period. Even Boris in England says not to do that. Ukraine can do what it wants, and they have mentioned it. So, who knows.

Putin is five days short of their stated war games period. They rolled out every bit of their military for this. I am highly suspicious of anything Putin says at this point. His film of tanks being carted away doesn't mean anything, since it could be fake. Let's see the satellite images from our own people. What Putin says, and what his defense minister says, doesn't mean squat.

But, it would be nice. Prayers answered, and all that.

Maybe the Babushkas intimidated him. Who wants to see bloody bodies of little old grannies carted back from the front. And, Ukraine is fully prepared to die for their country.