GROZNY. March 3 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia will start withdrawing its troops from Chechnya on Wednesday, a senior military official said on Monday.
Trains will leave Chechnya on Wednesday and Friday to take Defense Ministry forces into central Russia, Armed Forces Chief- of-Staff Anatoly Kvashnin said in Grozny in reply to questions from Interfax.
Kvashnin said soldiers and weapons are already being loaded onto trains. "The greater part of the units that are being withdrawn are Defense Ministry units. There is also a contingent from the Interior Forces," Kvashnin said.
He said the troops are heading for their permanent bases.
The general also said the withdrawal would "have absolutely no effect" on security in Chechnya. "We are removing only excess forces that have fulfilled their tasks and are not needed in Chechnya at present," he said.
Kvashnin said the situation in Chechnya has improved recently. "There are no Defense Ministry units operating at all on the plain. All of the functions for maintaining order in that zone have been transferred to the Ministry of the Interior," he said.