The Russian military and service vehicles are moving very close to each other, but the range of the Ukrainian projectiles is probably not above the convoy, Lieutenant Colonel Jarmo Mattila estimates.
The Russian military convoy shown in the satellite images is already 64 kilometers long. The images were provided by the American space technology company Maxar.
According to Maxar, the beginning of the column is about 29 kilometers north of Kiev.
Lieutenant colonel Jarmo Mattila The National Defense College estimates that combat troops, motorized infantry battalions and supporting equipment and maintenance will be transferred in the convoy.
– The hose is long and looks massive, because there is only a little road in the direction of the northern attack and the troops and equipment have to be moved along the same road, Mattilasanoo.
According to Mattila, military experts have drawn attention to the fact that the vehicles are very close and could be good targets for Ukrainian troops.
– The reserve should be directed to hit the hose. Ukraine would be able to shoot almost blindly and destroy the equipment, Mattila says.
However, according to Mattila, Russia seems to be confident that Ukraine will not be able to strike with the air force or rocket launchers because the range of the missiles is not enough. In addition, Russia may protect the column with air defenses.
Mattila estimates that when the hose stops, fighting troops will be fed into the front line and the siege of Kiev.
According to Maxar, satellite images also suggest that more ground troops and helicopters have been deployed in Belarus.
Over the past 24 hours, Russia has concentrated its forces on the siege and control of Kiev and other major cities, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military said.
Over the past 24 hours, Russia has concentrated its forces on the siege and control of Kiev and other major cities, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military said.
More than 70 Ukrainian soldiers killed in Russian attack
A Russian artillery center hit a Ukrainian base in Ohtirka in northern Ukraine, killing at least 70 Ukrainian soldiers. District Governor Dmytro Zhyvytskyi reported the attack on social media channels.
Ohtirka is located between Kiev and Kharkov, about a hundred kilometers west of Kharkov.
According to the Ukrainian president, Russia launched 56 missile strikes in the first five days of its attack and fired 113 cruise missiles.
Russia is also accused of using a feared thermobaric bomb that would create a strong heat and pressure shock. The accusation of the thermobaric bomb was made by the US Ambassador to Ukraine Oksana Markarova.
The information could not be officially confirmed. According to Human Rights Watch, similar weapons have been used in the past, at least in Chechnya.
The thermobaric bomb forms a strong cloud of pressure
Founder of the Bellingcat team, which collects and analyzes intelligence Eliot Higgins described the operation of thermobaric bombs to the news agency STT a week ago.
– Just before the explosion, these guns spray a cloud of fuel into the air at high pressure, which is then ignited. This creates a huge fireball and a really powerful pressure wave that has been documented to have sucked people’s lungs out of their mouths. It’s a really disgusting weapon that still sets everything on fire.
In addition to Kiev, air sirens have been ringing in other Ukrainian cities since the dawn of the new day.