Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops engaged in military exercises, some of which were taking place near Ukraine, to return to their bases, dpa quoted Putin' spokesman Dmitri Peskov as saying Tuesday. The drills, designed to combat the troops' combat readiness. The manoeuvres, which began last week, are to end as planned, Peskov said. Military personnel are to return to their bases on March 7, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told the Interfax news agency. The exercises involved about 150,000 soldiers as well as airplanes, tanks and ships.
