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[Mark Kohut]

russia invaded and annexed Crimea, Ukraine in 2014. The satellite images
below show how a camp at Novoozernoye, on the north-west coast—and probably
home to the 58th Combined Arms Army—jumped in size between September and
early February. More recent photos, from February 9th, show a surge in
forces over the preceding 24 hours. In another image of the same site,
artillery pieces can be seen churning up the ground in training. To the
south, out of shot, are the glimmering waters of the Black Sea, where
Russia is assembling a large naval force, including landing craft.
15th September 2021
1st February 2022
Maxar
Maxar
A new garrison has appeared to the south. This shows not just housing, but
also a suspected field hospital—the cross-shaped tent. Armies sometimes set
up hospitals during exercises. But Rob Lee of King's College says that
field hospitals popping up in different regions around Ukraine is
"certainly abnormal".
Maxar
Russian artillery pieces can be seen leaving tracks in the ground during
training. Russia’s army has more than 4,600 artillery weapons of different
kinds; Ukraine is thought to have fewer than 2,000.
In Oktyabrskoye, in the middle of the Crimean peninsula, a huge camp has
sprouted at a disused airfield. It now appears to hold the better part of a
brigade. Personnel tents have been deployed in former aircraft shelters and
along the tarmac.
8th April 2020
10th February 2022