Just in from the French news agency AFP:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his defense minister to pull thousands of troops from the border with Ukraine, the Kremlin said ahead of key talks on a fragile truce in the ex-Soviet country.
"The head of state has tasked the defense minister with beginning to bring troops back to their permanent bases," the Kremlin said late Saturday evening.
The Kremlin said the order meant that 17,600 servicemen, who had in the summer participated in military drills in the southern Rostov region on the border with Ukraine, would be pulled back.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu received the order after reporting that "summertime training on military ranges of the Southern military district is over," the Kremlin said.
The late Saturday meeting between Putin and his defense minister took place after the president chaired a meeting of his national security council, said the Kremlin, without providing further details.
Putin is expected to meet Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko for key talks on the sidelines of a Asia-Europe forum in Milan on Friday.
Kyiv reported that pro-Moscow rebel attacks had subsided and Poroshenko said for his part the two would discuss the fragile truce agreed last month.
Good morning. We are now resuming our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Sunday, October 12, 2014.
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Heavily decomposing bodies of Ukr soldiers fm airport at Luhansk morgue. Staff "waiting for orders for what to do pic.twitter.com/XUH9jz16Wz
— Oliver Carroll (@olliecarroll) October 11, 2014
Ukr tank nr Luhansk airport (city in bckground). Hit by RPG + mortar wks ago. Death smell suggests body parts remain pic.twitter.com/KaaHgMukbw
— Oliver Carroll (@olliecarroll) October 10, 2014
Shopping in Krasnodon with @sebagobert. Locals not into their exotic fruits, it seems … pic.twitter.com/ZXcjmLe2Sc
— Oliver Carroll (@olliecarroll) October 10, 2014
"We defend Lugansk from Nazism!" pic.twitter.com/nE400KTWvQ
— Oliver Carroll (@olliecarroll) October 11, 2014
Ukraine leader says expects tough talks with Putin next week - Reuters UK http://t.co/swbajdJjzC
— UkrMarketAssist (@UkrMarketAssist) October 11, 2014
Ukrainian defender of #Donetsk airport aka "cyborg" says the guys are doing fine, keeping the airport till the end http://t.co/9tk7vEh6LE
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) October 11, 2014
The Kremlin is dramatically increasing its spending on foreign propaganda via state media: http://t.co/de82afp92p pic.twitter.com/BimzGFRkoW
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) October 11, 2014
VIDEO #Ukraine Pres Poroshenko inspect upgraded versions of T-64BM Bulat tank &other vehicles https://t.co/aHQRWqtITL pic.twitter.com/NJKQRrzR8n
— raging.me (@raging545) October 11, 2014