Russian Troops Start Pulling Back From Ukrainian Border

This handout photo taken from a video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service shows, Russian troops board landing vessels after drills in Crimea on Friday, April 23, 2021. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP

MOSCOW—Russian troops began pulling back to their permanent bases Friday after a massive buildup that has caused Ukrainian and Western concerns.

On Thursday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu declared the sweeping maneuvers in Crimea and wide swaths of western Russia over, and he ordered the military to bring the troops that took part in them back to their permanent bases by May 1.