Ukraine demands Russian troop pullout from vicinity of border

17:50, 15.05.2014 1 min read

Ukraine has expressed anxiety over planned Russian military maneuvers near the Ukrainian border in the run-up to and during a presidential election in Ukraine and demanded that Moscow pull its troops deeper into Russian territory.

"The Russian plans cause deep anxiety in Ukraine. In view of the scenario of Aviadarts 2014, the forces and resources to be involved in it, and the combat use of modern armaments in the immediate vicinity of our borders … we qualify these actions by Russia as … an undisguised attempt to boost tensions on the borders with Ukraine and in the region as a whole," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"We categorically demand that the Russian Federation … immediately pull the Russian forces away the Ukrainian border and fulfill its commitments under the Geneva agreements," the ministry said.

The Aviadarts 2014 exercise will take place in the vicinity of Lipetsk, Voronezh and Ryazan on May 21-25.