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The
announcement prompted the rouble to rise sharply, following
weeks of tensions with the West over a major Russian military
buildup near Ukraine.
It was unclear if the rebasing order covered all of the forces
involved in that buildup. The EU's top diplomat said on Monday
that Russia has massed some 100,000 troops near the border.
"I believe the objectives of the snap inspection have been fully
achieved. The troops have demonstrated their ability to provide
a credible defence for the country," Russian Defence Minister
Sergei Shoigu was quoted as saying.
"In this regard, I have decided to complete the inspections in
the southern and western military districts," he said.
He said they would return to their bases by May 1.
Shoigu, after overseeing exercises in annexed Crimea near
Ukraine's southern border on Thursday, said however that the
military had to be ready to respond quickly in case of an "unfavourable"
development in the situation near NATO's Defender Europe
exercises, the Interfax news agency reported.
Defender-Europe is an annual, U.S. Army-led, multinational joint
exercise designed to build readiness and interoperability
between U.S. and other NATO militaries, as well as other
partners.
From March to June, more than 28,000 forces from 26 nations will
conduct drills across more than 30 training areas in a dozen
countries.
(Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing
by Mark Trevelyan)
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