Number of Russian troops on Ukrainian border decreases

The number of Russian troops deployed on the border with Ukraine is decreasing, a Ukrainian defence ministry official said at a news conference on Monday, adding that it was not possible to verify how many had left so far.

But Major-General Oleksandr Rozmaznin told journalists the drop in numbers might reflect a scheduled rotation of conscripts.

"The number of soldiers has fallen, but the exact figure is pretty approximate. I can not confirm the number," said Rozmaznin when asked if as many as 10,000 soldiers might have left the border.

(Reporting by Natalia Zinets; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Richard Balmforth)