Putin returned the troops to bases after the exercises

President Vladimir Putin ordered the troops and formations of the Central and Western Military Districts to return to the bases after a weekly sudden audit. This was reported by RIA Novosti with reference to Putin Putin Dmitry Peskov.

On the eve of Putin personally visited military exercises at the Kirillovsky training ground in the Leningrad region.

The exercises began on February 26 . Then, by order of Putin, the troops of the Western Military District were suddenly raised by alarm along with the formations and units deployed on its territory, the 2nd Army of the Central Military District, as well as the Aerospace Defense forces, long-range and military transport aircraft and the airborne forces. As the Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu said, it was thus decided to check the ability of troops to actions under military, terrorist, sanitary-epidemiological and technogenic threats.

According to Shoigu, on February 26-27 it was supposed to bring the troops to the highest degree of combat readiness and deploy them at combined arms and sea training grounds. On the following days, on February 28 - March 3, operational -tactical exercises were planned, including with the participation of formations and units of the North and Baltic fleets. Part of the aviation of the 1st command of the Air Force and Air Defense was planned to be relocated to operational airfields.

On February 27, relocation of troops began . It involved 150 thousand soldiers, up to 90 aircraft, more than 120 helicopters, up to 880 tanks, over 1,200 units of military equipment, up to 80 ships and ships.

The troops were transferred from the Arctic, as well as the Voronezh, Kaliningrad, Kursk, Leningrad, Lipetsk, Pskov, Samara regions and other regions. The destination did not open.

On the same day, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Heigel said his country is closely observing the exercises of the borders of Ukraine.

At the end of February, after the revolution in Ukraine, Russian troops launched an invasion of Crimea. The weapon has not yet been used, but psychological pressure was on the Ukrainian military. On Tuesday morning, it also became known about the concentration of Russian soldiers and military equipment near the borders with the Kharkov, Lugansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine.

Russia's actions caused a condemnation of the international community. Both the Western countries and China spoke out in defense of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Russia was actually excluded from the "big eight" - preparations for the Summit of G8, the Western countries and Japan interrupted the planned in Sochi. Repeatedly declared the possibility of sanctions against Russia. On the night of the United States Tuesday, any negotiations with Russia on trade and investments were frozen before the resolution of the conflict around Ukraine. Bilateral military cooperation was also stopped. US President Barack Obama said that Russia's actions violate international law. He emphasized that the United States support the Provisional Government of Ukraine.