Russia denies any attack plans.
Moscow:
Commercial satellite images released by a private US company show new Russian military deployments at several locations near Ukraine, suggesting that Moscow’s force buildup continues amid diplomatic tension to defuse the crisis.
Russia is holding joint exercises in Belarus in the past as well as naval exercises in the Black Sea, part of increased military activity near Ukraine that has raised fears of an impending invasion. Russia denies any attack plans.
US-based Maxar Technologies, which has been tracking Russia’s force build-up for weeks, said images taken on Wednesday and Thursday show significant new deployments at several locations. locations in Crimea, Western Russia and Belarus merged.
The images cannot be independently verified by Reuters.
In Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, Maxar said it has identified a new deployment of troops and equipment at Oktyabrskoye airport north of the city of Simferopol, including 550 tents and hundreds of vehicles. .
New troops and equipment have also arrived near Crimea’s Novoozernoye, pointing to a new deployment near the town of Slavne, on the peninsula’s northwest coast.
In Belarus, where major joint exercises are being held, Maxar said it has identified a new deployment of troops, military vehicles and helicopters at Zyabrovka airfield near Gomel, less than a foot from the border with Ukraine. 25 km.
In an emailed statement late Thursday, it said a large deployment of troops and forces had recently arrived at the Kursk training ground in western Russia, about 110 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. East.
Russia did not disclose how many troops it has deployed and said it reserves the right to deploy forces on its territory as it sees fit. It insists they have no external threat.
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