New Delhi:
New satellite images still show increased military activity in Belarus, Crimea and western Russia, rejecting Moscow’s claims it was withdrawing troops from the border with Ukraine. The US has said Russia has increased its presence on the border with Ukraine by “as many as 7,000 troops”, some of whom arrived on Wednesday.
Maxar’s high-resolution satellite images filmed over the past 48 hours show a new military pontoon bridge less than four miles from the Belarus-Ukraine border, and the deployment of troops and armored equipment in Crimea and western Russia. Self-propelled artillery units were also captured while providing training in Belarus on the satellite images shared by the private US company.
The footage also shows the deployment of ground attack helicopters to forward locations in Belarus. The latest satellite images shared by Maxar also showed a new, large field hospital.
The new satellite images captured by a private US company showed “significant” troops and ground troops recently deployed to an airport in Belarus and departing from their posts.
The areas where Russia has expanded its forces are mostly in the north and northeast of Ukraine. It also includes a major airbase southeast of Ukraine and Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
While there are signs that Russia may be interested in a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine, there are only a handful of signs that it has begun to withdraw its troops from the region.
Russia’s massive build-up of troops, missiles and warships around Ukraine is seen as Europe’s greatest security risk since the Cold War.
NATO has rejected suggestions that the threat at the border with Ukraine had abated.
“Moscow has made it clear that it is ready to challenge the fundamental principles underlying our security for decades and to do so by using force,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that Ukraine be banned from pursuing his ambition to join NATO and wants to redraw the security map of Eastern Europe and reverse Western influence.
But, buoyed by the threat of crippling US and EU economic sanctions, Western leaders are pushing for a negotiated settlement, and Moscow has indicated it will withdraw its troops.
In the latest move, Russia’s defense ministry said on Wednesday that military exercises in Crimea — a Ukrainian region annexed by Moscow in 2014 — had ended and troops were returning to their garrisons.