Satellite images taken by a private US company show that Russia has continued to build troops near annexed Crimea and Ukraine in recent weeks, while urging the United States to negotiate the security guarantees it seeks.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the latest images from Maxar Technologies in the United States. The Kremlin reiterated on Friday (December 24) that it reserves the right to mobilize its own troops on Russian territory as it deems appropriate, and that Western countries are conducting provocative military exercises near its borders.
The leaders of the United States, Europe, and Ukraine accused Russia of regrouping troops near the Ukrainian border since October, after a brief assembly in April, when Maxar also released pictures. US President Joe Biden and other leaders said that Moscow appears to be weighing the attack on Ukraine next month, which Moscow has repeatedly denied.
A picture released late Thursday showed that as of December 13, Russia had annexed a base in Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, which was packed with hundreds of armored vehicles and tanks. The Maxar satellite image of the same base in October showed that half of the base was empty.
New satellite photos of Russia’s military build-up near the Ukrainian border. Bakhchisaray, Crimea. Russian brigade-level units: 100 armored vehicles such as armored personnel carriers, tanks, and self-propelled artillery; air defense equipment. Photo 1, October. Figure 2, December 13th. 📷@Maxar pic.twitter.com/LgtsrWvhRo
— Mike Eckel (@Mike_Eckel) December 23, 2021
Maxar said that a new brigade-level force consisting of hundreds of armored vehicles has arrived in the Russian garrison, including the BMP series of infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, self-propelled artillery and air defense equipment.
“In the past month, our high-resolution satellite images have observed some new Russian deployments in Crimea and several training areas around the border with Ukraine in western Russia,” McSall said in a statement .
It cited increased activity in three locations in Crimea and five locations in western Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia wants to avoid conflict, but needs the United States and its allies to respond “immediately” to its security requirements. Moscow has stated that it expects to start talks with US officials on this issue in Geneva in January.
When asked on Friday about Russia’s assembly of troops near Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow is taking action to defend its own security.
Peskov said: “In the context of our NATO, US and various European opponents conducting very clear exercises near our borders, Russia is mobilizing its own troops on its own territory.”
“This forces us to take certain measures to ensure our own safety.”
Biden threatened that if Russia invaded Ukraine, it would take strong economic and other measures to strengthen sanctions on Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, and support the pro-Russian forces in the ongoing separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine. A US official said that the new retaliatory measures may include strict export controls.
Russia stated that it hopes NATO will stop its eastward expansion and seek assurances that the Western military alliance will not deploy certain offensive weapons to Ukraine and other neighboring countries.
Other Maxar images show that there has been a buildup in the Russian Soloti assembly area near the Ukrainian border. Photos taken in early December show that the concentration of military equipment is higher than in September.
Satellite photo of the assembly place of Solotti, near Belgorod, about 10 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Armored infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, support equipment. Photo 1-2: September. Photo 3-4: December 5th. 📷 @Maxar pic.twitter.com/TfxPQPMNRR
— Mike Eckel (@Mike_Eckel) December 23, 2021
Other photos showed continued assembly in the Russian town of Yelnya, about 160 miles (260 kilometers) north of the Ukrainian border, and the Pogonovo training ground near the southern Russian city of Voronezh.
