Large Russian military convoy captured near Kiev by satellite images

Satellite images recorded on Monday in Ukraine show a large Russian military convoy traveling more than 60 kilometers northwest of the capital Kiev, Russia’s main military target in its offensive into Ukrainian territory.

The convoy “extends from the outskirts of Antonov Airport (25 km from central Kiev) in the south to the vicinity of Prybirsk in the north,” the US satellite imagery company Maxar said on Monday night.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this airport has been the scene of violent fighting. Vladimir Putin’s army tries to conquer this strategic infrastructure to take the capital.

In the 64-kilometre convoy, “some vehicles are very far from each other, and in some areas the military teams are positioned in twos or threes”, adds Maxar.

The images show dozens of vehicles lined up one after the other on rural roads in Ukraine, sometimes with clouds of smoke nearby, or buildings on fire, according to the company.

The images also show a new troop deployment, with attack helicopters and ground vehicles, in Belarus, less than 30 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Since the start of the Russian offensive on Thursday, Ukrainian forces have maintained control of access to central Kiev, containing the advance of Russian troops.

Two sources consulted by AFP, one diplomatic and the other from the defense sector, said that Moscow was preparing to launch a new military offensive imminently.