13-kilometer Russian convoy sighted - Ukraine fears "complete destruction" of cities
Created: 04/12/2022, 04:57
By: Jennifer Battaglia
Ukraine, Velykyy Burluk: This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a convoy of armored vehicles and trucks moving south in the area of Velykyy Burluk, east of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, on April 8, 2022.
© Uncredited/Maxar Technologies/AP/dpa
A long Russian convoy can be seen on satellite images near the city of Kharkiv.
Is a major attack on eastern Ukraine imminent?
Kharkiv - A solution to the Ukraine conflict seems a long way off.
A new, major attack by Russia on eastern Ukraine could be imminent.
Satellite images from the US company Maxar Technologies give reason to fear this - and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) also assumes a Russian offensive.
A long Russian convoy can be seen in pictures taken on Friday (April 8) east of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
According to the
New York Times
, the convoy will consist of hundreds of military vehicles and be around 13 kilometers long.
The vehicles were moving south towards the city of Izyum.
Russian military convoy: Major attack expected in eastern Ukraine
After the Russian armed forces withdrew from the north of the country and around the capital Kyiv, observers are now assuming that the Russian army is increasingly advancing in the south-east of the country.
According to
dpa
, the Ukrainian authorities have increased their warnings of a major Russian offensive.
"Russian troops will proceed to even larger operations in the east of our state," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday evening (April 10).
"The battle for Donbass will last several days, and during those days our cities could be completely destroyed," Ukrainian Luhansk Region Governor Serhiy Gaiday said on Facebook.
Russian military convoy: control of eastern Ukraine by May 9?
French President Emmanuel Macron made a similar statement on Friday.
He told the
RTL
broadcaster : "We will see very bad scenes in the next few weeks." Macron also assumes that Russian President Vladimir Putin will intensify and concentrate his attacks on eastern Ukraine.
Macron fears that Putin wants to present his people with a “victory” by May 9th.
Since May 9, 1945, Russia has celebrated the victory of the Soviet Union over what was then Nazi Germany on this day.
The military convoy could now provide information about a planned major attack in eastern Ukraine.
As the next largest city, Slovjansk could then be targeted by the Russians.
The city with more than 100,000 inhabitants is on the way to Luhansk and Donetsk.
Russian military convoy: there were similar satellite images at the end of February
At the end of February, satellite images of a similar military convoy appeared - at that time outside the gates of Kiev.
The convoy was then up to 60 kilometers long, but then stalled due to supply problems and was finally broken up.
(jb with dpa)
