Russia said on Wednesday more of its forces surrounding Ukraine were withdrawing but NATO joined the U.S. in saying it had yet to be convinced the pullout was real.
In Ukraine, the Defence Ministry said its web portal had been hit by an unprecedented cyber attack that was into its second day.
The Russian Defence Ministry published video that it said showed tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled artillery units leaving the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
“Units of the Southern Military District, having completed their participation in tactical exercises, are moving to their permanent deployment points,” the Ministry said.
It comes a day after Moscow said it was pulling back some of the troops deployed on its neighbour’s borders.
But U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday more than 1,50,000 Russian troops were still amassed near Ukraine’s borders. He said Washington had not yet verified any pull-out.
“Our analysts indicate that they remain very much in a threatening position,” he said.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday said Russia’s military build-up seemed to be continuing around Ukraine. “We have heard the signs from Moscow about readiness to continue diplomatic efforts, but so far we have not seen any de-escalation on the ground,” Mr. Stoltenberg said ahead of a meeting of NATO Defence Ministers. “On the contrary, it appears that Russia continues their military build-up.”
President Vladimir Putin said after meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday the West was ignoring Russia’s main demands but Moscow was ready to continue dialogue on security issues.
