Satellite images have revealed that Russian military deployment on border with Ukraine is larger than previously thought

Russian deployment in Crimea and on the border with Ukraine, scene for several weeks of an escalation of tension between the two countries, is larger than previously believed and could indicate an impending offensive, as new satellite photos reveal on Tuesday.

The images were taken between March 27 and April 16 by Maxar Technologies, a trading company that provides satellite imagery to the United States and other Western governments. Dan Jablonsky, the CEO of the company said he was posting the unclassified photos due to a commitment to transparency, but that the United States government had not asked him to do so.

“I think it removes some of the uncertainty and doubts about what is really going on in a very critical part of the world.Jablonsky said.

The photos, published by The Wall Street Journal, show Su-30 fighters lined up on a runway at an air base in Crimea, Ukrainian peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 and at bases near the Ukrainian border. Plane, shown on a satellite photo from April 16 they weren’t there at the end of March.

Other photos show that a squadron of planes Su-25 “Frogfoot” attack ground and a pair of electronic warfare planes that were sighted in mid-April at an airbase in Astrakhan, Russia, left for another airfield on April 16. Sunday, the Russian news agency TASS he said that the Su-25 had reached Crimea.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet confirmed on Tuesday that a total of 50 aircraft were transported to Crimea, who participated in some military exercises that took place on Tuesday.

Other Russian units on the Crimean Peninsula include airborne troops, motorized rifles and armored units, attack helicopters, smoke generators, reconnaissance drones, jamming teams and military hospital, as the pictures show.

These forces and the Su-34, Su-30, Su-27, Su-25 and Su-24 aircraft deployed to other parts of the region, also shown in the photos, have strengthened the political influence of Moscow to constrain Ukraine, according to the American newspaper.

Ukraine accused Russia of provoking a escalating tension in the region, especially in the Donbass, by dangerously increasing its military presence on the border between the two countries in recent weeks.

Kiev calculates that there are around 80,000 Russian soldiers on the border with Ukraine and in the Crimea, twice as many as a month ago. According to the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, the number rises to more than 100,000, which would make it the largest Russian deployment since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

The West has called on Russia to withdraw these forces from the border with Ukraine to the fear that the escalation will lead to open conflict in the Donbass.

According to Philip breedlove, a retired general consulted by the WSJ, satellite photos indicate that Russian units were not ready to attack immediately, although they show that Moscow has several options for military action.

The director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William burns, also said last week during a hearing before Congress that Russian deployments may aim to intimidate Ukrainian government and send a message to Biden’s administration.

“It’s not a demonstration. It’s a preparation for a big offensive “, he told the American newspaper Phillip karber, president of the Potomac Foundation, a group of American experts, who have traveled extensively on the military front in Ukraine. “I’m not predicting an attack, but within two weeks it will be an option at the discretion of the Russians. “

Therefore, the US government would prepare options for providing military assistance to Ukraine in the event of a Russian attack, which would include anti-tank, anti-ship and anti-aircraft systems, a person familiar with the matter told the WSJ. The Biden administration is also reportedly considering more economic sanctions against Russia, after those imposed last week.

Major naval maneuvers in the Black Sea

The photos are known on the same day as more than twenty Russian warships and fifty aircraft participated in naval exercises in the Black Sea.

According to a statement issued by the Black Sea Fleet, the exercises involved Su-25SM3 fighters and forces of the Southern Military District air defense system.

Ships and aircraft participating in the exercises conducted “To repel a virtual enemy attack using active radio interference.”

All of this “at extremely low altitudes and in adverse weather conditions,” he added.

According to official information, Russia restricted flights over parts of Crimea and the Black Sea from April 20 to 24 and declared the area “dangerous for air navigation.”

In addition, Moscow has announced that it will restrict the navigation of foreign warships in Russian Black Sea territorial waters from April 24 to October 31.

The Foreign Ministry clarified that this measure only concerns warships and it will not affect the merchant navy at all across the Kerch Strait.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov stressed that this type of limitation in areas where naval maneuvers are carried out “It is common international practice.”

“We adhere very strictly to multilateral agreements and any other agreement signed by Russia”, he asserted.

The NATO ruled last Friday that Russia’s intention was “unjustified” to shut down various areas of the Black Sea carry out military maneuvers, which he sees as part of a “larger pattern of destabilizing behavior” in the region.

KEEP READING: