Russia scales deployments up along Ukraine border: report

Moscow: Russia has been found employing fresh military troops in many areas near Ukraine, meaning Moscow is in no mind to deescalate tensions while global efforts are going on in easing the crisis between the two nations, Reuters reported.

Russia's new deployment was noticed by the satellite images gathered by a private US company Maxar Technologies. The firm was tracking the Russian building of forces along the Ukraine border. The satellite images from Wednesday and Thursday showed that there was a significant increase in Moscow's fresh deployments in locations like Crimea, western Russia and Belarus. But news agency Reuters cautioned that it couldn't independently verify the images.

Maxar said that in Crimea, a large new deployment of troops along with equipment were found at the Oktyabrskoye airfield, north to Simferopol city. The deployment has 550 troop tents and hundreds of vehicles. New troops arrived in Novoozernoye and Salvne. The company identified deployment including troops, vehicles and helicopters in Zyabrovka airfield near Gomel in Belarus. The place is less than 25 km from the Ukraine border. In its Thursday statement, the company said that another large deployment was found in the Kursk training area in western Russia, which is also just over 100km from Ukraine's border.

Meanwhile, the country is also conducting joint military exercises in Belarus and naval drills in the black sea. In addition to these, the sudden surge of military activities along Ukraine gives ample reasons to increase the latter's fear of being invaded.

However, Russia had denied any plans to attack. It had not disclosed how many troops were deployed but stated that it has the right to move forces within its territory as per its wishes.