The Evening Wrap: Russia says it is pulling back more troops amid Ukraine standoff

Russia said on Wednesday it was returning more troops and weapons to bases, yet another gesture apparently aimed at easing fears it is planning to invade Ukraine, even as the U.S. said the threat of an attack remained. Russia has massed about 150,000 troops east, north and south of Ukraine, sparking Western concerns it was planning an assault. There have been no indications of a significant withdrawal of those forces, but this week has seen a handful of gestures from Moscow that offered hope that Europe might avoid war following weeks of escalating East-West tensions. On Wednesday, the Russian Defence Ministry released a video showing a trainload of armoured vehicles moving across a bridge away from Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. It said the movement was part of a return of forces to their permanent bases. A day earlier, the ministry reported the start of a pullback of troops following military exercises near Ukraine. And Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled he wanted a diplomatic path out of the crisis, emphasising that he did not want war and would rely on negotiations to achieve his key goal of keeping Ukraine from joining NATO. While the U.S. and its allies continued to express skepticism about Russia’s intentions, the moves nonetheless changed the tenor amid the worst East-West security crisis since the Cold War. Still, Putin did not commit to a full withdrawal, saying Russia’s next moves in the standoff will depend on how the situation evolves. The Russian military hasn’t given the number of troops or weapons being withdrawn and offered few other details. President Joe Biden noted Tuesday that American officials had not verified Russia’s claim. “Indeed, our analysts indicate that they remain very much in a threatening position,” Biden said in remarks at the White House. Still, he promised that the U.S. would give diplomacy “every chance.” British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace also said “it’s too soon to tell” whether the pullback is genuine, noting that the Russians “haven’t taken the foot of the gas.” “I think what we haven’t seen is evidence of withdrawal that has been claimed by the Kremlin,” he told Sky News. “In fact we’ve seen continued buildup of things like field hospitals and strategic weapons systems. Until we see a proper de-escalation, I think we should all be cautious about the direction of travel from the Kremlin.” On Wednesday, Russian fighter jets flew training missions over Belarus that neighbours Ukraine to the north and paratroopers held shooting drills at firing ranges there as part of massive war games that the West feared could be used as cover for an invasion of Ukraine. Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei reaffirmed that all Russian troops will leave the country after the maneuvers wrap up Sunday. Russia has denied having any invasion plans and has mocked Western warnings about an imminent invasion as “hysteria” and “madness.” Asked by German daily Welt if Russia was going to attack Wednesday — named by Western officials as a possible invasion date — Russia’s ambassador to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov quipped: “Wars in Europe rarely start on a Wednesday. There won’t be an escalation next week either, on in the week after, or in the coming month,” he said. Russia wants the West to keep Ukraine and other former Soviet nations out of NATO, halt weapons deployments near Russian borders and roll back forces from Eastern Europe. The U.S. and its allies have roundly rejected those demands, but they offered to engage in talks with Russia on ways to bolster security in Europe. Speaking after a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Putin said Tuesday that the West agreed to discuss a ban on missile deployment to Europe, restrictions on military drills and other confidence-building measures — issues that Moscow put on the table years ago. He added that it would do so only in combination “with the main issues that are of primary importance for us.” While Scholz reiterated that NATO’s eastward expansion “is not on the agenda — everyone knows that very well,” Putin retorted that Moscow will not be assuaged by such assurances. They are telling us it won’t happen tomorrow,” Putin said. “Well, when will it happen? The day after tomorrow? We want to solve this issue now as part of negotiation process through peaceful means.” Scholz also said diplomatic options are “far from exhausted,” and praised the announcement of a troop withdrawal as a “good signal,” adding: “We hope that more will follow.” But Ukrainian officials expressed skepticism, saying they want to see evidence of the Russian pullback and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that there have been no signs, so far, of a reduced military presence on Ukraine’s borders. Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly sought to project calm but also strength during the crisis. In a show of resolve, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared Wednesday the “day of national unity,” calling on citizens to display the blue-and-yellow flag and sing the national anthem in the face of “hybrid threats.” In Moscow, Russian lawmakers on Tuesday sent an appeal to Putin urging him to recognise rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine as independent states — where Russia has supported rebels in a conflict that has killed over 14,000 since 2014. Putin signaled that he wasn’t inclined to back the motion, which would effectively shatter a 2015 peace deal that was a diplomatic coup for Moscow. Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly sought to project calm but also strength during the crisis. In a show of resolve, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared Wednesday the “day of national unity,” calling on citizens to display the blue-and-yellow flag and sing the national anthem in the face of “hybrid threats.” In Moscow, Russian lawmakers on Tuesday sent an appeal to Putin urging him to recognise rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine as independent states — where Russia has supported rebels in a conflict that has killed over 14,000 since 2014. Putin signaled that he wasn’t inclined to back the motion, which would effectively shatter a 2015 peace deal that was a diplomatic coup for Moscow. Hijab controversy: Six students of Udupi government PU college skip class The six students of Government Pre University College for Girls in Udupi, who have approached the Karnataka High Court seeking direction to the college to allow them to wear hijab in classrooms, continue to stay away from classes. They did not go to the college on February 16 when the college was reopened after remaining closed since February 9. The controversy over the dress code had originated in Government Pre University College for Girls in Udupi before spreading to other parts of Karnataka. The controversy erupted at the college after 12 girls submitted a memorandum to the principal on December 30 to allow them to wear hijab in classrooms. Later, six of them agreed to attend classes without the hijab while the remaining six have not been attending the classes since then. Other Muslim girls in the same college attended classes on February 16 by removing the burqa and hijab after entering the campus, like they used to earlier. Meanwhile, classes resumed in pre-university colleges in Kundapura, Udupi district, which had witnessed protests by students wearing hijab and saffron shawls last week. A lecturer of the Government Pre University College in Kundapura said classes went on as usual along with preparatory examinations for Class 10 students. The pre-university college and the high school are in the same premises. Some Muslim students at the pre-university college came with hijab and removed it in a separate room before entering the classroom while some did not come to the campus demanding to be allowed to wear the hijab. Classes were conducted at Bhandarkars’ Pre University College and R.N. Shetty Pre University College in Kundapur. Outsiders have been barred from entering the premises of these two colleges. “The atmosphere in the college is tense now. With presence of police, we feel like being in a restricted place,” said a first-year BA student of Bhandarkars’ College. Classes were conducted at Bhandarkars’ Pre University College and R.N. Shetty Pre University College in Kundapur. Outsiders have been barred from entering the premises of these two colleges. “The atmosphere in the college is tense now. With presence of police, we feel like being in a restricted place,” said a first-year BA student of Bhandarkars’ College. Income Tax Department searches Huawei’s offices in Delhi, Gurugram and Bengaluru The Income Tax Department is carrying out searches on premises linked to Huawei in Delhi, Gurugram and Bengaluru. According to an agency official, based on the preliminary findings, simultaneous searches were initiated in the three cities on Tuesday. In a statement, Huawei said: “We have been informed of the visit of Income Tax team to our office and also of their meeting with some personnel. Huawei is confident our operations in India are firmly compliant to all laws and regulations. We will approach related government departments for more information and fully cooperate as per the rules and regulations and follow the right procedure.” Last December, the department had searched the premises of several entities linked to the manufacture of Chinese mobile phones on suspicion of tax evasion. Multiple locations related to Oppo and Xiaomi were also covered. The agency later said that it had detected multiple irregularities on the part of two companies manufacturing Chinese mobile phones. “The search action has revealed that two major companies have made remittance in the nature of royalty, to and on behalf of its group companies located abroad, which aggregates to more than ₹5,500 crore. The claim of such expenses does not seem to be appropriate in the light of the facts and evidence gathered,” said the agency. Stating that both companies had not complied with the regulatory mandate of disclosing transactions with associated enterprises, the agency had said that such a lapse made them liable for penal action under the Income-Tax Act, the quantum of which could be in the range of over ₹1,000 crore. “Evidence with regard to the inflation of expenses, payments on behalf of the associated enterprises, etc., had also been noticed, which led to the reduction of taxable profits of the Indian mobile handset manufacturing company. Such amount could be in excess of ₹1,400 crore,” said the agency. Centre asks States to do away with additional COVID-19 restrictions It is too early to say anything definite on the COVID-19 pandemic becoming an endemic, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Wednesday while inaugurating the revamped canteen of the Ministry. The Centre was maintaining a strict vigil on the spread of the infection, he stressed. “India now has the advantage of enhanced surveillance, manpower and infrastructure to fight any possible COVID-19 waves in the future. Till March-end, it’s all wait and watch as far as COVID-19 spread is concerned,” he stated. The Health Ministry said it had written to the States asking them to review and amend or end additional COVID-19 restrictions as the pandemic in the country is showing a sustained declining trend since January 21, 2022, with the average daily cases in the last week standing at 50,476. The daily case positivity on February 15, 2022 has declined to 3.63 %. “With the changing epidemiology of COVD-19 pandemic globally and in India, existing guidelines aimed at minimising the transmission and circulation of viruses have been reviewed and updated. The Union Ministry of Health has accordingly revised its guidelines for international arrivals on 10th February 2022,” the Ministry letter said. It noted that in earlier months, in view of the high case trajectory, certain States had imposed additional restrictions at their borders and at airports. “While effectively managing the public health challenge of COVID-19, it is equally important that movement of people and economic activities should not be hampered by additional restrictions imposed at State level points of entries,” advised the Ministry. The case trajectory across the nation was showing a sustained downward trend. It would be useful if the States reviewed and amended or did away with the additional restrictions so imposed after considering the trend of new cases and positivity within the State/Union Territories, it highlighted. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 4,27,24,790 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 5,09,938. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 16 FEBRUARY 2022 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Russia says it is pulling back more troops amid Ukraine standoff Russia said on Wednesday it was [returning more troops and weapons to bases]( yet another gesture apparently aimed at easing fears it is planning to invade Ukraine, even as the U.S. said the threat of an attack remained. Russia has massed about 150,000 troops east, north and south of Ukraine, sparking Western concerns it was planning an assault. There have been no indications of a significant withdrawal of those forces, but this week has seen a handful of gestures from Moscow that offered hope that Europe might avoid war following weeks of escalating East-West tensions. On Wednesday, the Russian Defence Ministry released a video showing a trainload of armoured vehicles moving across a bridge away from Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. It said the movement was part of a return of forces to their permanent bases. [A tank is seen firing during a military drill for Ukrainian soldiers at the training centre of Ukrainian Ground Forces near Rivne, Ukraine on February 16, 2022. ] A day earlier, the ministry reported the start of a pullback of troops following military exercises near Ukraine. And Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled he wanted a diplomatic path out of the crisis, emphasising that he did not want war and would rely on negotiations to achieve his key goal of keeping Ukraine from joining NATO. While the U.S. and its allies continued to express skepticism about Russia’s intentions, the moves nonetheless changed the tenor amid the worst East-West security crisis since the Cold War. Still, Putin did not commit to a full withdrawal, saying Russia’s next moves in the standoff will depend on how the situation evolves. The Russian military hasn’t given the number of troops or weapons being withdrawn and offered few other details. President Joe Biden noted Tuesday that American officials had not verified Russia’s claim. “Indeed, our analysts indicate that they remain very much in a threatening position,” Biden said in remarks at the White House. Still, he promised that the U.S. would give diplomacy “every chance.” British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace also said “it’s too soon to tell” whether the pullback is genuine, noting that the Russians “haven’t taken the foot of the gas.” “I think what we haven’t seen is evidence of withdrawal that has been claimed by the Kremlin,” he told Sky News. “In fact we’ve seen continued buildup of things like field hospitals and strategic weapons systems. Until we see a proper de-escalation, I think we should all be cautious about the direction of travel from the Kremlin.” On Wednesday, Russian fighter jets flew training missions over Belarus that neighbours Ukraine to the north and paratroopers held shooting drills at firing ranges there as part of massive war games that the West feared could be used as cover for an invasion of Ukraine. Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei reaffirmed that all Russian troops will leave the country after the maneuvers wrap up Sunday. Russia has denied having any invasion plans and has mocked Western warnings about an imminent invasion as “hysteria” and “madness.” Asked by German daily Welt if Russia was going to attack Wednesday — named by Western officials as a possible invasion date — Russia’s ambassador to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov quipped: “Wars in Europe rarely start on a Wednesday. There won’t be an escalation next week either, on in the week after, or in the coming month,” he said. Russia wants the West to keep Ukraine and other former Soviet nations out of NATO, halt weapons deployments near Russian borders and roll back forces from Eastern Europe. The U.S. and its allies have roundly rejected those demands, but they offered to engage in talks with Russia on ways to bolster security in Europe. Speaking after a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Putin said Tuesday that the West agreed to discuss a ban on missile deployment to Europe, restrictions on military drills and other confidence-building measures — issues that Moscow put on the table years ago. He added that it would do so only in combination “with the main issues that are of primary importance for us.” While Scholz reiterated that NATO’s eastward expansion “is not on the agenda — everyone knows that very well,” Putin retorted that Moscow will not be assuaged by such assurances. They are telling us it won’t happen tomorrow,” Putin said. “Well, when will it happen? The day after tomorrow? We want to solve this issue now as part of negotiation process through peaceful means.” Scholz also said diplomatic options are “far from exhausted,” and praised the announcement of a troop withdrawal as a “good signal,” adding: “We hope that more will follow.” But Ukrainian officials expressed skepticism, saying they want to see evidence of the Russian pullback and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that there have been no signs, so far, of a reduced military presence on Ukraine’s borders. Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly sought to project calm but also strength during the crisis. In a show of resolve, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared Wednesday the “day of national unity,” calling on citizens to display the blue-and-yellow flag and sing the national anthem in the face of “hybrid threats.” In Moscow, Russian lawmakers on Tuesday sent an appeal to Putin urging him to recognise rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine as independent states — where Russia has supported rebels in a conflict that has killed over 14,000 since 2014. Putin signaled that he wasn’t inclined to back the motion, which would effectively shatter a 2015 peace deal that was a diplomatic coup for Moscow. Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly sought to project calm but also strength during the crisis. In a show of resolve, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared Wednesday the “day of national unity,” calling on citizens to display the blue-and-yellow flag and sing the national anthem in the face of “hybrid threats.” In Moscow, Russian lawmakers on Tuesday sent an appeal to Putin urging him to recognise rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine as independent states — where Russia has supported rebels in a conflict that has killed over 14,000 since 2014. Putin signaled that he wasn’t inclined to back the motion, which would effectively shatter a 2015 peace deal that was a diplomatic coup for Moscow. Hijab controversy: Six students of Udupi government PU college skip class The six students of Government Pre University College for Girls in Udupi, who have approached the Karnataka High Court seeking direction to the college to allow them to wear hijab in classrooms, [continue to stay away from classes](. They did not go to the college on February 16 when the college was reopened after remaining closed since February 9. The controversy over the dress code had originated in Government Pre University College for Girls in Udupi before spreading to other parts of Karnataka. The controversy erupted at the college after 12 girls submitted a memorandum to the principal on December 30 to allow them to wear hijab in classrooms. Later, six of them agreed to attend classes without the hijab while the remaining six have not been attending the classes since then. [A tank is seen firing during a military drill for Ukrainian soldiers at the training centre of Ukrainian Ground Forces near Rivne, Ukraine on February 16, 2022. ] Other Muslim girls in the same college attended classes on February 16 by removing the burqa and hijab after entering the campus, like they used to earlier. Meanwhile, classes resumed in pre-university colleges in Kundapura, Udupi district, which had witnessed protests by students wearing hijab and saffron shawls last week. A lecturer of the Government Pre University College in Kundapura said classes went on as usual along with preparatory examinations for Class 10 students. The pre-university college and the high school are in the same premises. Some Muslim students at the pre-university college came with hijab and removed it in a separate room before entering the classroom while some did not come to the campus demanding to be allowed to wear the hijab. Classes were conducted at Bhandarkars’ Pre University College and R.N. Shetty Pre University College in Kundapur. Outsiders have been barred from entering the premises of these two colleges. “The atmosphere in the college is tense now. With presence of police, we feel like being in a restricted place,” said a first-year BA student of Bhandarkars’ College. Classes were conducted at Bhandarkars’ Pre University College and R.N. Shetty Pre University College in Kundapur. Outsiders have been barred from entering the premises of these two colleges. “The atmosphere in the college is tense now. With presence of police, we feel like being in a restricted place,” said a first-year BA student of Bhandarkars’ College. Income Tax Department searches Huawei’s offices in Delhi, Gurugram and Bengaluru The Income Tax Department is [carrying out searches on premises linked to Huawei]( in Delhi, Gurugram and Bengaluru. According to an agency official, based on the preliminary findings, simultaneous searches were initiated in the three cities on Tuesday. In a statement, Huawei said: “We have been informed of the visit of Income Tax team to our office and also of their meeting with some personnel. Huawei is confident our operations in India are firmly compliant to all laws and regulations. We will approach related government departments for more information and fully cooperate as per the rules and regulations and follow the right procedure.” Last December, the department had searched the premises of several entities linked to the manufacture of Chinese mobile phones on suspicion of tax evasion. Multiple locations related to Oppo and Xiaomi were also covered. The agency later said that it had detected multiple irregularities on the part of two companies manufacturing Chinese mobile phones. “The search action has revealed that two major companies have made remittance in the nature of royalty, to and on behalf of its group companies located abroad, which aggregates to more than ₹5,500 crore. The claim of such expenses does not seem to be appropriate in the light of the facts and evidence gathered,” said the agency. Stating that both companies had not complied with the regulatory mandate of disclosing transactions with associated enterprises, the agency had said that such a lapse made them liable for penal action under the Income-Tax Act, the quantum of which could be in the range of over ₹1,000 crore. “Evidence with regard to the inflation of expenses, payments on behalf of the associated enterprises, etc., had also been noticed, which led to the reduction of taxable profits of the Indian mobile handset manufacturing company. Such amount could be in excess of ₹1,400 crore,” said the agency. Centre asks States to do away with additional COVID-19 restrictions It is too early to say anything definite on the COVID-19 pandemic becoming an endemic, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Wednesday while inaugurating the revamped canteen of the Ministry. The Centre was maintaining a strict vigil on the spread of the infection, he stressed. “India now has the advantage of enhanced surveillance, manpower and infrastructure to fight any possible COVID-19 waves in the future. Till March-end, it’s all wait and watch as far as COVID-19 spread is concerned,” he stated. The Health Ministry said it had written to the States [asking them to review and amend or end additional COVID-19 restrictions]( as the pandemic in the country is showing a sustained declining trend since January 21, 2022, with the average daily cases in the last week standing at 50,476. The daily case positivity on February 15, 2022 has declined to 3.63 %. “With the changing epidemiology of COVD-19 pandemic globally and in India, existing guidelines aimed at minimising the transmission and circulation of viruses have been reviewed and updated. The Union Ministry of Health has accordingly revised its guidelines for international arrivals on 10th February 2022,” the Ministry letter said. It noted that in earlier months, in view of the high case trajectory, certain States had imposed additional restrictions at their borders and at airports. “While effectively managing the public health challenge of COVID-19, it is equally important that movement of people and economic activities should not be hampered by additional restrictions imposed at State level points of entries,” advised the Ministry. The case trajectory across the nation was showing a sustained downward trend. It would be useful if the States reviewed and amended or did away with the additional restrictions so imposed after considering the trend of new cases and positivity within the State/Union Territories, it highlighted. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The [number of reported coronavirus cases from India]( stood at 4,27,24,790 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 5,09,938. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. Today‘s Top Picks [[Traditional Kathakali koppu artisans are now crafting souvenirs] Traditional Kathakali koppu artisans are now crafting souvenirs]( [[An impatient social media, America’s unending wars, Orwell’s roses and more] An impatient social media, America’s unending wars, Orwell’s roses and more]( [[Daily Quiz | Chief Ministers poll-bound States] Daily Quiz | Chief Ministers poll-bound States]( [[Students of Aligarh college attend classes in saffron stoles] Students of Aligarh college attend classes in saffron stoles]( Copyright @ 2021, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](