Ukrainian reservists attend a military exercise earlier this month at a training ground near Kiev, Ukraine. File Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA-EFE

Dec. 27 (UPI) — More than 10,000 Russian troops have completed over a month of training in areas near the Ukrainian border and will return to base, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry.

The military units of Russia’s Southern Military District underwent combat training in the Crimea and Rostov regions bordering Ukraine, according to a statement posted Saturday on the ministry’s website and Bloomberg Quint.