Israeli satellite images show the rapid build-up of the Russian military in Crimea

New satellite images released on Saturday show that Russia has concentrated troops on the annexed Crimean peninsula in recent days.

Imesat International (ISI), a private Israeli intelligence agency, said some military vehicles – including tanks, armored personnel carriers and rocket launchers – were seen outside the podium, saying “may be ready for operation soon.”

According to the ISI, the formation took place in the last four days in the Crimea.

Pictures taken on February 15 show that the area near the town of Novoozerne is completely empty.

The ISI claimed that troops were concentrated in the area to allow Russia to occupy southern Ukraine.

The United States, which estimates Russia has more than 150,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders, has been monitoring significant movements since Wednesday, a U.S. defense official said anonymously.

“Forty to fifty percent of people are under attack. In the last 48 hours, they have unleashed a tactical mob, ”the official told reporters.

Tactical assembly points are areas adjacent to the border where military units have been set up in advance of the attack.

The official said Moscow had amassed 125 battalion tactical teams near the Ukrainian border, up from 60 in normal times and 80 in early February.

The Russians have never given statistics on their position on the border with Ukraine, or how many people are participating in ongoing exercises with neighboring Belarus.

Satellite photo provided by ImageSat International (ISI) shows the Russian military building on the Crimean Peninsula attached on February 19, 2022. (Courtesy of ISI)

Separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine on Saturday ordered a full military mobilization, while Western leaders issued increasingly stern warnings that a Russian invasion of its neighbor could appear imminent.

The head of the pro-Russian separatist government in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, Denis Bush, told Israeli television that he would seek Russia’s help if the situation escalated.

“Ukraine wants to launch a military confrontation and launch an offensive,” Bushil Khan told a broadcaster.

“The ball is in the court of Ukraine. In some cases, if civilians are killed, we do not deny that we will have to seek Russia’s help,” he added.

The Ukrainian military says two soldiers were killed in a shootout with rebels on Saturday.

By Saturday morning, separatists in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, which form Ukraine’s industrial hub known as the Donbass, reported that thousands of people living in rebel – held areas had been deported to Russia.

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