KIEV
Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered Russian troops back to their permanent bases and away from the eastern Ukrainian border, a spokesperson said on Saturday.
Authorities in Ukraine and NATO had criticized the placement of Russian troops so close to the conflict in eastern Ukraine where fierce fighting is under way between Russian separatists and Ukraine government forces since April.
Russia has maintained that the troops are in the region for routine training exercises. NATO also said late in August that Russia had allowed troops and vehicles across the border to assist pro-Russian separatists in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. But the Kremlin has denied these allegations. The West has blamed Russia for instigating the conflict in Ukraine and supporting rebel groups there, and economic sanctions have been imposed on the country.
Despite the ongoing conflict, Putin is to meet with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko next week in Milan. Poroshenko said he will discuss a peace plan and the dispute over natural gas provision that threatens to leave the country without sufficient heating fuel for the winter.
Meanwhile, Russian separatist attacks killed four civilians and wounded eleven others in the east Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Saturday and Sunday.
Ongoing clashes between Russian separatists and Ukrainian army forces were causing loss of life and widespread destruction, the Donetsk City Council said.
Many houses have been destroyed, some burned down in fires in Donetsk during the clashes, the City Council said. Rebels conducted 36 different attacks by mortars, multiple rocket launchers and anti-tank rocket systems according to the Ukraine Counter Terrorism Center. Much of the fighting is still taking place at the city's airport which, at this writing, is still held by Ukraine forces.
The pro-Russian separatists have declared their intention to break away from Kiev.
According to a UN report, at least 3,660 people were killed and 8,756 wounded in eastern Ukraine from mid-April to October 6. A cease-fire agreement in September was to halt the fighting, but since the agreement was signed, more than 331 civilians have been killed, the report said.
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