NATO sees ‘significant withdrawal’ of Russian troops from eastern Ukraine

PanARMENIAN.Net - NATO said it observed a "significant" withdrawal of Russian troops from eastern Ukraine, but added that some forces still remain there, according to BBC News.

Lt Col Jay Janzen says it is difficult to determine the number of soldiers in Ukraine, as pro-Russian fighters control several border crossings.

Moscow denies arming the militias and sending Russian troops to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

UN officials say 3,245 people have been killed since fighting began in April. A shaky ceasefire has held since Sept 5, and the two sides have since agreed to set up a 30km (19 miles) buffer zone.

But there were reports of overnight shelling in Donetsk, Avdiivka and Debaltseve.

"There has been a significant pullback of Russian conventional forces from inside Ukraine, but many thousands are still deployed in the vicinity of the border," Canadian Lt Col Janzen said on Tuesday.

"Some Russian troops remain inside Ukraine. It is difficult to determine the number, as pro-Russian separatists control several border crossings and troops are routinely moving back and forth across the border. Further, Russian special forces are operating in Ukraine, and they are difficult to detect," he added.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly stated that thousands of heavy-armed Russian troops remain positioned on Ukraine's eastern border.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian military journalist Dmytro Tymchuk said a Russian troops build-up also continued in northern Crimea, where "several air defense systems were moved".