Satellites Showed Where Russian "Iskanders" Are Deployed In Belarus

Russia's military grouping in our country is growing.

The grouping of Russian troops near the borders with Ukraine, including Belarus, continues to strengthen. According to the U.S. Maxar corporation, this is evident from satellite images taken during the last decade of January that show the locations of Russian military concentrations, the Voice of America reports.

According to the company's report, cited by CNN and Reuters, the images show an increase in the level of combat readiness compared to the previous series of images published on January 19.

In particular, the images show army tents at troop locations in Russia's western regions, annexed Crimea and Belarus, meaning that not only military equipment but also military personnel are arriving at field camps. An increase in the Russian grouping in Belarus is also noted. The images show, in particular, Russian Iskander missile systems.

A large-scale Russian-Belarusian exercise, Union Resolute, is due to take place in Belarus from February 10 to 20. The Russian Defence Ministry has confirmed the deployment of Russian military and equipment there, including those from the Far East.

Ukraine and Western countries, however, are concerned that the Russian military could attack Ukraine from the territory of Belarus if the Russian leadership decides to invade the country.

On Wednesday, analysts from the Conflict Intelligence Team noted that vehicles of the National Guard troops, which are part of the Rosgvardia, have been spotted on roads and railways in various regions of Russia over the past few days. In particular, videos of them have been taken in the Arkhangelsk region and Karelia - far from the borders with Ukraine - but also in the Lipetsk and Tula regions. "So far, we have not observed the deployment of the Russian Guard in camps or settlements near the Ukrainian borders. However, it should be noted that such relocation of the armed formation is rather uncharacteristic," the CIT notes, stressing that in case of a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Rosgvardia could be used to control occupied settlements and supply lines.

Western countries estimate that over 100,000 Russian military personnel are concentrated near Ukraine's borders. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Wednesday that diplomatic efforts made by Kiev's allies are helping to prevent an invasion, but "the worst-case scenario is still not excluded". At the same time, according to Kuleba, Ukraine still does not observe such a concentration of Russian forces that would indicate a close invasion.