Tens of thousands of Russian troops remain near Ukraine border: NATO

Russia has withdrawn thousands of troops from near the Ukraine border, but tens of thousands remain, a NATO military officer said on Wednesday.

"A number of (Russian) units have now withdrawn from the border. The activity we are observing continues to suggest a slow withdrawal of forces," the officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

"At present, much of the previously deployed Russian force remains in the vicinity of the border and continues to be capable of operations at short notice. Thousands of troops have withdrawn, but tens of thousands remain," he said.

NATO has previously estimated that Russia had around 40,000 soldiers close to the Ukraine border.

(Reporting by Adrian Croft; editing by Justyna Pawlak)