US company accuses Russia of continuing large buildup near Ukraine border
Iran Press TV
Friday, 11 February 2022 2:18 PM
A US company has released new satellite images purportedly showing Russia continuing a large military buildup near several areas of the Ukraine border as NATO keeps building up forces in eastern Europe near Russia.
Maxar Technologies, a US company monitoring Russian military activity near Ukraine, published satellite images on Thursday that show several areas where Russia has moved troops or equipment, Reuters reported on Friday.
The images allegedly show Russia moving troops and weapons inside the country and in Crimea and Belarus.
According to the unverified images, Russia deployed military helicopters, vehicles and new troops in less than 15 miles from the Ukrainian border in Belarus.
A significant troop deployment was also seen in the Kursk training area in Russia which about 65 miles from the Ukrainian border. In Crimea, hundreds of new vehicles and around 550 troop tents were found in the images.
Relations between Russia and the West have hit a new low in recent weeks.
The US, its NATO allies, and Ukraine have accused Moscow of amassing troops near Ukraine's border for a possible invasion. Moscow rejects the allegation and insists that deployments are defensive in nature.
The US military has put 8,500 troops on heightened alert for deployment to Eastern Europe to bolster the NATO presence in the region.
The US State Department has also approved shipments of US-made missiles and other weapons from NATO allies Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said "things could go crazy quickly" between Russia and Ukraine.
"It's not like we're dealing with a terrorist organization. We're dealing with one of the largest Army's in the world. It's a very different situation and things could go crazy quickly," Biden told NBC News' Lester Holt.
Earlier, Biden had warned that Moscow would face unprecedented sanctions if it invades Ukraine. He has also threatened direct economic sanctions on Putin.
Biden administration has been spearheading efforts to build a united front against Russia, but the attempts have been wrought with divisions among the European allies and partisan bickering at home.
At the heart of the row is the US opposition to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, a vast network of offshore natural gas pipelines that runs under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany.
Washington has grown uneasy with the prospect of Europe becoming more energy-dependent on Russia at a time when the US is trying to dominate the world energy market through its ramped-up oil and gas production as part of its "energy war."
Many analysts believe the US sees Ukraine as an opportunity to wean Europe off Russia's gas, which explains why Washington is stoking the tensions and pursuing a confrontational policy.
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