Two probable Russian military resupply and maintenance bases have been established in southern Ukraine and Crimea, Maxar satellite images show, and probably are being used to help reinforce and resupply operations in and near Mariupol.
Why it matters: Russian ground forces continue moving into eastern Ukraine, where the stage is being set for a massive offensive in the Donbas region, Maxar says in a note to reporters.
- These deployments include dozens of armored vehicles, troops with tents and support equipment, positioned in fields and farms near Russian towns about five miles east of the Ukraine border.
- Several convoys rumbling through eastern Ukraine together contain more than 200 vehicles.
- There are signs of ongoing artillery shelling in and around Mariupol. Smoke and fire were seen coming from a number of buildings as well as from an iron and steel factory — where some of the last Ukrainian forces in the city are believed to be bunkered down.
The big picture: Other images captured by Maxar recently showed a Russian convoy moving south through the eastern town of Velykyi Burluk toward the Donbas region.
- The convey was at least eight miles long and consisted of hundreds of armored vehicles and trucks carrying artillery and support equipment.
The United Nations Human Rights Council, from which Russia was suspended last week, estimates that at least 1,892 civilians have been killed and 2,558 injured so far during Russia's invasion.
- It stressed that its estimates were likely to be considerably lower than the actual figures, because ongoing fighting has delayed its documentation efforts.
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