Belligerent Russia Ignores Global Warning, Continues to Move Military Toward Ukraine
For weeks now, the world has been looking toward Russia with scolding, worried eyes.
The wannabe world superpower is treading dangerously close to war with Ukraine, having not only amassed an enormous cadre of military assets near the border, but also allowing their plans for an invasion to be leaked. First, there were rumors of a military coup in the tiny nation, and now British intelligence services are suggesting that, perhaps as early as Christmas, the Kremlin could pounce.
The latest satellite imagery seems to suggest that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is ignoring the warnings from the global community.
New satellite images captured by a private U.S. company show that Russia has continued to build up its forces in annexed Crimea and near Ukraine in recent weeks while pressing the United States for talks over security guarantees it is seeking.
Reuters could not independently verify the latest images from U.S.-based Maxar Technologies. The Kremlin reiterated on Friday that it reserves the right to move its own forces on Russian territory as it sees fit and that Western countries were carrying out provocative military manoeuvres near its borders.
U.S., European and Ukrainian leaders have accused Russia of building up troops again near Ukraine’s border since October after an earlier brief buildup in April, when Maxar also released images. U.S. President Joe Biden and other leaders say Moscow appears to be weighing an attack on Ukraine as soon as next month, something Moscow has repeatedly denied.
The move was stark, to say the least.
The images released late on Thursday showed a base in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, packed with hundreds of armoured vehicles and tanks as of Dec. 13. A Maxar satellite image of the same base in October showed the base was half empty.
The US is not the only nation that has warned Putin to reel it in: Both NATO and the G7 group has pushed back on the Russian strongman’s alleged push to invade Ukraine.
Putin, in return, threatened nuclear war through his media mouthpiece.
