Russia has deployed dozens of tanks right on the border with Ukraine
MOSCOW, (BM) – In a minimum of time, Russia has deployed dozens of battle tanks just 20km from its border with Ukraine. Dozens of Russian media confirm this news. Military analysts say that such equipment was located at least 100 km from the border until a few days ago. Moving them close to Ukraine could be a signal that Russia and Ukraine are preparing for a confrontation.
Other sources say this is not an incident or a type of exercise. Additional columns of tanks have been spotted heading for the central part of the Crimean peninsula to the Krasnoperekopsk region. According to them, these tank units are located on the border with Ukraine.
Simultaneously, Russian and Ukrainian sources claim that Ukraine is preparing to launch a large-scale military offensive in Donbas. SBU and the Ukrainian army are placed under full combat readiness. Experts comment that the movement of tanks to the Ukrainian border may prove Ukraine’s readiness to take military action in Donbas.
Aviapro is distributing a video claiming that a car passenger took footage of military equipment and Russian soldiers hours ago in Crimea. The geolocation makes it possible to assume the direction of movement of the military column, namely Krasnoperekopsk.
There are currently no official comments from the Russian Ministry of Defense on this issue, but field exercises are not ruled out.
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Russia has also deployed a ballistic missile near Ukraine
Janes Thomas Bullock is an open-source intelligence specialist who often writes for the prestigious Jane’s publication. His publication in early April revealed that the Russians had deployed their Iskander ballistic missile system near Ukraine.
According to Bullock, this is the Iskander missile complex, but its latest version is Iskander-K. The Russians armed Iskander-K with two types of missiles – 9M728 (SSC-X-7) and 9M729 (SSC-X-8). In this case, Bullock says the spotted complex in Russia’s border areas around the border with Ukraine arms with a 9M728 (SSC-X-7) or better known as the R-500.
The R-500 flies at an altitude of 6 km and has an increasing range of at least 500 km, which the missile can increase by automatically adjusting the flight, trajectory, and terrain used. The R-500 can carry a conventional 500-kilogram warhead or a nuclear warhead with a yield of about 10-50 kT.
Bullock says he has identified the missile systems and the type of missiles they are with and the Russian missile brigade that was located in the area to deploy. This Russian unit is the 119th Missile Brigade from Voronezh, Vladivostok region.
Russia is moving ships to the Black Sea too
On April 8, the southern military region of the Russian armed forces announced that, from the Makhachkala naval base, the Caspian fleet would transfer ten boats to the Black Sea fleet, however already well endowed.
Also, in detail, it is a question of transferring landing craft as well as gunboats. The type of boats to be shared has not been specified. But it is assumed that they will take the Volga-Don Canal, which connects the Caspian Sea to that of Azov [and therefore the Black Sea], their dimensions will have to be reduced.
The Caspian fleet has seven landing craft, including six of the “Serna” class, each weighing around one hundred tonnes at full load and one of the “Shark” type. The same fleet has well as five gunboats, including four of the “Schmel” type, displaying a displacement of 70 tons and equipped with a 76 mm gun, three machine guns, a BM-14 rocket launcher, and the ability to lay mines. It also has a “Zhuk” class patrol boat classified as “artillery boats,” armed with two 12.7mm machine guns.
The Black Sea fleet is equipped with five landing craft [including two of the Serma class, two of the Shark class, and one of the BK-16 type, used by the special forces]. But it also has seven “large landing ships” of the old design.
What is happening?
On April 1, Russia began locating a lot of Russian weapons on the border with Ukraine. The Belarusian side noticed similar actions. A Ukrainian journalist was the first to film the movement of military convoys.
The revelation forced the Kremlin to explain after the public learned about what was happening. “The Russian Federation is moving troops within its territory at its discretion; this should not bother anyone; it does not pose a threat to anyone,” said presidency spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
According to him, the Russian Federation is taking the necessary measures to ensure its borders ’security. “You know that along the perimeter of the borders of the Russian Federation; there is increased activity of the armed forces of NATO countries, other associations, individual governments, etc., etc. All this obliges you to be vigilant,” Peskov stressed.
“As for the participation of Russian troops in the armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine, Russian troops have never participated in it and do not participate in it. This is a highly internal Ukrainian conflict, and we, European countries, other countries would not want armed forces of Ukraine, the civil war in Ukraine flared up again,“ said Peskov.
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