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9 mins ago
Russia Accelerates Movement of Military Materiel to Ukraine, Satellite Images Show
By Gianluca Mezzofiore, Tim Lister
New satellite imagery, obtained by CNN, shows that a large base that housed Russian tanks, artillery and other armor near the Ukrainian border has largely vacated, with equipment apparently moving much closer to the border during the last days.
The base is in Yelnya, southeast of the city of Smolensk and about 257 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
Large amounts of weaponry were moved there in late 2021, including some 700 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and ballistic missile launchers.
Much of that equipment is gone, according to radar satellite images acquired on February 6.
Cloud cover had prevented photographic imaging of the site several days earlier.
The photos show the tracks of the vehicles that left.
Stephen Wood, director of satellite imaging company Maxar, told CNN: “It seems to me that a considerable number of vehicles [tanks, self-propelled artillery and other support vehicles] have left the Northeast vehicle pool;
Additional armored vehicles pulled out of the most central car park."
A wide shot of Russian deployments at Yelnya on January 19, according to Maxar.
Konrad Muzyka, a military movement tracking expert with Rochan Consulting, says what happened at Yelnya is one of several "major changes in the compositions of Russian forces and their locations."
In that regard, he told CNN: "We're entering the new stage of buildup where we're seeing units positioned ahead of time that are manned with additional personnel and that equipment is probably moving into staging areas."
16 mins ago
Germany's New Chancellor Meets Biden, As Ukraine's Resolve Tested
As the confrontation between Russia and the West enters a potentially decisive phase, US President Joe Biden meets this Monday at the White House with Germany's new chancellor, Olaf Scholz, whose willingness to confront Moscow together with the United States States has been questioned.
Olaf Scholz took office in December, replacing a leading figure in world politics, Angela Merkel, whose absence during the current crisis is being felt on both sides of the Atlantic.
Scholz arrives in Washington as Russian President Vladimir Putin has already assembled 70% of the military personnel and weapons on Ukraine's borders that he would need for a full-scale invasion of the country, according to US intelligence estimates. Though no one seems to know what his true intentions might be.
Amid the uncertainty, Biden is eager to demonstrate the West's unity against Putin's aggression. Ahead of the president's meeting with Scholz, US officials said the two leaders would spend most of their time together discussing the Ukraine issue, including a "robust sanctions package" being prepared against Moscow in the event of a invasion.
The situation on the Ukraine border has given Monday's Oval Office meeting the air of crisis talks.
Although Biden also hopes to use the session to get to know Scholz personally, given that they are likely to spend much more time together in the years to come.
They have met once before, when Merkel brought Scholz to the Group of 20 summit in October, but they have never met as counterparts.
Biden has sought to mend ties with Germany after former President Donald Trump publicly accused the country of skirting its international obligations.
21 mins ago
The European Union is in dialogue with the US and other gas suppliers over concerns about gas deliveries from Russia
By Ulrike Heilm, Sharon Braithwaite
(Credit: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The European Union is in talks with the US and other gas suppliers to increase supplies to Europe, amid concerns about gas deliveries from Russia.
The dialogue comes as tensions between Russia and Ukraine rise and cause gas prices to rise.
"We are building a partnership for energy security with the US, which is mainly about more supplies of LNG gas. We are talking with other gas suppliers, for example Norway, about increasing their supplies to Europe," the president said. of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen this Monday.
ANALYSIS |
Europe could live with less Russian gas, but a full shutdown would be 'catastrophic'
Speaking at an event organized by German media outlets Der Tagesspiegel, DIE ZEIT, Handelsblatt and WirtschaftsWoche, von der Leyen warned that "there are growing signs that the Kremlin continues to use gas supplies for political advantage."
"Europe imports 90% of its gas and 40% comes from Russia. And there is apparently no interest in increasing supplies at the moment, despite peak prices and exploding demand. This is strange business behavior on the part of Gazprom," he said.
He added: "This is why we have to become independent from that (Russian gas supplies) and constantly cooperate with reliable partners... we are building a partnership for energy security with the United States."
RussiatensionUkraine