Russia said it began pulling thousands of troops back from areas near the Ukrainian border Friday, in a move that could ease tensions that have spiked in recent weeks. The Defense Ministry released video on Twitter it said showed the troops returning to their bases. It didn’t give details of the withdrawal, which is scheduled to be completed by May 1. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed Russia’s announcement of the move Thursday. U.S. officials, who have repeatedly called on Russia to remove the troops, said they were waiting for confirmation the pullback takes place.

Russia’s deployment of more than 100,000 troops, as well as tanks, warplanes and warships, to Crimea and other areas near the Ukrainian border over the last month had raised fears the Kremlin might be planning another attack on its neighbor. For weeks, Moscow rejected calls from Kyiv and its western allies to de-escalate, driving tensions to the highest levels in years. Russia said the troops were in the area for maneuvers.