A day after the top diplomat of the European Union warned that more than 100,000 Russian troops had now gathered on the border of Ukraine and in the annexed Crimea, new satellite images show the powerful stockpile of military equipment the Kremlin used to carry it to support.
On Monday, EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said a massive Russian army had met on the border with Ukraine, adding: “This is the highest military deployment of the Russian army in Ukrainian borders ever … If your many troops deployed, a spark can jump here or there. ”
On Tuesday, the satellite images taken by the Wall Street Journal showed the extent of the Russian power of concern. The photos, taken between March 27 and April 16 by the commercial satellite company Maxar Technologies, show that Russia is assembling fighter jets, attacking helicopters and even building a new military hospital.
According to experts, the size and number of fighter jets collected is cause for concern. Philip Breedlove, a retired U.S. Air Force general who was NATO’s greatest military commander when Russian forces annexed Crimea in 2014, told the Magazine: “They appropriately harnessed the various elements of air force that would be needed to establish air power over the battlefield and directly support the ground troops.”
Dan Jablonsky, CEO of Maxar Technologies, said the company had decided to make its images public so the world knows more about what Russia is planning on the border with Ukraine. “I think it removes the uncertainty and doubt about what is really happening in a fairly critical region of the world,” Jablonsky said.
U.S. officials are also showing increasing concern about what could happen in the region. The US estimate of the number of Russian troops in Crimea or near Ukraine is according to the Magazine-doubles the number of troops deployed to the region just one month ago. However, officials said they would expect larger ammunition supplies and more military hospitals if a large-scale invasion was imminent.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the Magazine: ‘In a few weeks from now, they are close to sufficient combat readiness to pursue a military escalation. According to our estimates, their combined military might reach more than 120,000 troops by that time … We do not know whether Putin will decide to attack, but he will certainly be ready to do so. ”
The White House said during a call between President Joe Biden and Putin last week that the US president “emphasizes the unwavering commitment of the United States to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.