The latest satellite images released by a US-based technology company,
Maxar, appear to show Russia's continuing military buildup in Crimea,
western Russia and Belarus. This underscores concerns that the Kremlin is
planning an attack on Ukrainian territory.
"In Crimea, large deployments of troops and equipment were observed by Maxar
in images collected Thursday," said Stephen Wood, senior director at the
company.
The deployment took place at the previously disused Oktyabrskoye airfield,
north of Crimea's capital Simferopol. Maxar assessed that more than 550
troop tents and hundreds of vehicles had arrived at the scene.
Other sites in Crimea have also seen an influx of troops and equipment,
including at Novoozernoye, where there has been an extensive artillery
deployment and drills.
The new deployment identified by Maxar for the first time near the town of
Slavne on Crimea's northwest coast, includes armored vehicles.
The new deployment in Crimea was observed on the same day that several
Russian warships, including a large amphibious landing craft, arrived in
Sevastopol, Crimea's main port.
The warship is expected to participate in a scheduled naval exercise that
will block large parts of the Black and Sea of Azov, prompting protests
from Ukraine that commercial shipping routes will be blocked.
The Kremlin has denied that shipping routes will be blocked. The drills are
part of a joint military exercise by Russia and its Belarusian allies, which
began last Thursday on Belarusian territory and are expected to last for 10
days.
Moscow's military deployment in Belarus is believed to be the largest there
since the Cold War, and the US has expressed reservations about the buildup
of Russian troops in the country, which borders Ukraine.
In Belarus, Maxar observed what he called "a new deployment of troops,
military vehicles and helicopters" at the Zyabrovka airfield near the town
of Gomel, about 25 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. This is the
first time helicopters have been seen in the area.
There also appears to be a field hospital at the site. In addition, troops
and several combat groups remain deployed near the Belarusian city of
Rechitsa less than 45 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
Earlier satellite images showed the establishment of a tent camp near
Rechitsa.
When combined with recent videos, they show a growing Russian presence in
the area, some 320 kilometers to the east of where the joint
Russian-Belarusian drills took place last Thursday.
Social media videos have shown substantial movements by Russian military
units in recent days into eastern Ukraine, around the cities of Kursk,
Rostov-on-Don and Bryansk.
Maxar reported what it called a "large deployment of troops and military
forces" who "recently arrived at the Kursk training area east of the city
about 110 kilometers east of the border with Ukraine."
"Additional equipment continues to arrive in the area and preparations
are underway to accommodate more troops and equipment," Maxar said.
As Western nations seek diplomatic avenues to defuse the crisis, US
President Joe Biden urged Americans in Ukraine to leave the country
immediately, warning that things could deteriorate very quickly.
Speaking to NBC News on Thursday, Biden said: "It's not like we're dealing
with a terrorist organization. We're dealing with one of the biggest armies
in the world. It's a very different situation and things can go crazy fast."
There wasn't" a situation that could prompt him to send U.S. troops to
rescue Americans trying to get out of Ukraine, Biden told NBC, adding, "it
was a world war when America and Russia started shooting at each other."
Russia has repeatedly denied that it plans to attack Ukraine, despite a
massive troop build-up in the region.
The Kremlin is believed to have amassed 70% of the military personnel and
weapons on the Ukrainian border that Russia would need for a full-scale
invasion, according to two US officials familiar with Washington's latest
intelligence estimates.