Moscow ( CNN ) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered 17,600 troops near the Ukrainian border to return to their bases , state-run media reported . The reason ? The Russian troops ' training exercises in the southern Rostov region have ended , according to the RIA Novosti news agency . But many did not believe such exercises were taking place . The troop buildup near the Ukrainian border has been widely interpreted as a threat to invade eastern Ukraine . If the troops do indeed leave the border area , the withdrawal could mark a removal of that threat . So far , NATO has not confirmed whether the troops have actually began to withdraw . Tensions in the region have flared since April , when separatist leaders in Ukraine declared independence from Kiev and violence broke out in two Ukrainian regions that border Russia . The conflict between the pro-Russian rebels and the Ukrainian military has cost more than 2,500 lives , according to the United Nations . War : What is it good for ? Russia 's announcement of the troop pullback comes as Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko prepare to meet in Milan on sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting later this month . In another sign that tensions have cooled somewhat , Ukrainian emergency services will be granted passage Monday to the site in rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine where Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed in July . After negotiations led by the Organization for the Security and Co-operation in Europe , Ukrainian teams will be allowed to gather belongings of crash victims at the site and from locals in the area , Dutch Security and Justice Ministry Spokesman Jean Fransman told CNN . Ukraine and Russia have been under a shaky cease-fire since last month , when government officials from the two countries as well as rebel leaders from eastern Ukraine hashed out a deal in Belarus . Yet the bloodshed continued . Ten civilians were killed when a school in the city of Donetsk was shelled , according to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe . And one day later , Swiss Red Cross worker Laurent DuPasquier was killed when a shell landed near an International Committee of the Red Cross building in Donetsk . Matthew Chance reported from Moscow ; Holly Yan wrote from Atlanta . CNN 's Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report .
NEW : Ukrainian teams will be granted access to MH17 crash site , Dutch official says . Russia says the troops were stationed near the border for training exercises . Comment: It 's not clear whether the withdrawal has actually taken place .