Russia’s Ukraine Role Shifts to Training

Nearly a year into the Ukraine conflict, Russia has made a tactical shift apparently aimed at minimizing its military presence, part of an effort to persuade the West to lift economic sanctions. Visits by the Associated Press to training grounds like those near Yenakieyeve and interviews with dozens of rebels reveal that Russian armed forces spearheaded some of the major separatist offensives, then swiftly withdrew. More recently, as a shaky ceasefire has taken hold, Russia has kept fewer troops in Ukraine but increased rebel training. NATO and an independent London-based Russian scholar estimate that Russia has several hundred military trainers in eastern Ukraine.