Russia orders troops back to bases ahead of Ukraine vote

Moscow (AFP) - Russia said Monday it had ordered troops near the border with Ukraine to return to their bases, just days ahead of a presidential vote aimed at bringing the country out of deep crisis.

The move could ease tensions, but both Washington and NATO -- which noted it was the third time Moscow had made such a claim -- said they saw no sign of a withdrawal.

"Unfortunately, we have not seen any evidence at all that Russia has started withdrawal," NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

A senior US official said Washington will want to see "clear, firm evidence of this move before we make any judgement".

President Vladimir Putin's office said he had ordered thousands of troops deployed in border regions to return to barracks after the end of spring exercises.

But the Kremlin said Putin had also demanded that Ukraine's pro-Western government halt what it described as a "punitive operation" against insurgents in the east and withdraw its troops.

In a telephone conversation with NATO counterpart Knud Bartels, Russia's chief of general staff, Valery Gerasimov, voiced Russia's "sharp concern" about the Atlantic alliance's activity on its borders, the Russian defence ministry said.

Gerasimov added "it does not contribute to security in Europe."

Faced with the worsening crisis in Ukraine, NATO sent in April 600 troops to Poland and the Baltic countries while it deployed Navy ships in the Baltic Sea and eastern Mediterranean.

The Russian remarks came amid continued fighting in eastern Ukraine, with at least one soldier reported killed in an attack near the flashpoint rebel town of Slavyansk.

"Due to the end of the planned spring training of troops that included their movement to Rostov, Belgorod, and Bryansk regions, the Russian president ordered... troops participating in the drills to return to their permanent bases," the Kremlin said in a statement.

- 'Drills will fuel tensions' -

The presence of the Russian troops near the border raised deep concerns after Putin's annexation of Crimea in March and the uprising by well-armed pro-Moscow rebels in Ukraine's eastern coal and steel heartland.

NATO estimates the number of Russian troops near the border at 40,000 and Rasmussen said Monday that a real withdrawal would be an "important contribution to de-escalating the crisis".

Putin said earlier this month that the troops had been moved away from the border to regional bases to continue planned training exercises. NATO at the time also said it had seen no evidence of a withdrawal.

Kiev also called on Moscow Monday to cancel air force drills planned for May 21-25 near the border, saying they will "fuel tensions" during Sunday's election.

Under pressure from US and European Union sanctions, Moscow has moved to reduce tensions with Ukraine after months of turmoil that sent relations with the West to their lowest point since the Cold War.

After initially dismissing Sunday's presidential vote -- called after February's ouster of Kremlin-backed president Viktor Yanukovych -- Putin later said it was a step in the right direction.

Many in the West see the vote as the only way to end a crisis that began with pro-EU protests in Kiev but spiralled into a wider confrontation that some fear could break Ukraine apart.

But, during a visit to Kiev, the UN assistant secretary-general for human rights, Ivan Simonovic, cautioned against expecting that Sunday's election would provide a "miracle."

During an interview with AFP, Simonovic also warned of a risk of a major exodus from rebel-held areas of east Ukraine because of the near collapse of basic services there.

- 'Legitimate president' -

Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk acknowledged it could be difficult to organise the election in some eastern districts.

But he added: "It affects very few areas and will not have any influence on voting. The election will take place and we will have a legitimate president."

Still, it remains unclear how much credibility the poll will have as fighting continues between Ukrainian troops and separatists who have grabbed over a dozen towns and declared sovereignty in the industrial hubs of Donetsk and Lugansk.

The Ukrainian defence ministry said one soldier was killed and three others injured when rebels staked out in a kindergarten shelled a military checkpoint near Slavyansk on Monday.

The ministry also said one insurgent had been killed, seven wounded and one captured in another operation in Donetsk.

Ukraine's military launched its offensive against the rebels in mid-April but has failed to oust them from their strongholds and suffered a number of humiliating setbacks.

Violence has flared often in various hotspots across the east, where the United Nations says the crisis has already cost more than 120 lives.

- Putin hails 'first contacts' -

Putin on Monday also praised "the first contacts between Kiev and supporters of federalisation" during weekend talks in the eastern city of Kharkiv.

Moscow has demanded authorities in Kiev engage with separatists under a roadmap drawn up by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), an East-West security body.

Saturday's talks involved a broad range of figures, including pro-Russians, but no separatist leaders after Kiev refused to invite what they describe as "terrorists" to the table.

Regional officials said further discussions will be held on Wednesday in Donetsk.

Meanwhile, European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said Russia, Ukraine and the EU plan to meet May 26 for talks to resolve a gas dispute that has raised fears of disruptions to European supplies.