Nato's top military commander in Europe has released a series of satellite images taken by the commercial satellite company Digital Globe, reports Nato Allied Command Operations.
The images, which were taken on March 22, show the military buildup that Russia has been amassing on Ukraine's border.
AndersFogh Rasmussen, the Secretary General of Nato, believes that the military buildup is not simply a training exercise, as Russia has previously declared.
40,000 Russian troops along #Ukraine’s borders, not training, ready for combat. #Russia is stirring tensions & provoking unrest in E Ukraine
— AndersFogh Rasmussen (@AndersFoghR) April 10, 2014U.S. intelligence officers also believe that the chances of a Russian invasion of Ukraine are increasing as Russia has started building supply lines and battlefield hospitals — elements not needed for training — close to the border.
Below are satellite images of the Russian forces.
A Russian airborne or Special Forces Brigade at Yeysk, by the Sea of Azov.
Russian Mil Mi-8 "Hips" and Mil Mi-24 "Hinds" aircraft are stationed in Belgorod, southern Russia, about 50 km north of the Russian border with eastern Ukraine.
Russian military tanks and infantry fighting vehicles based near Kuzminka, east of the Sea of Azov in southern Russia.
Russian artillery battalion based at a military base near Novocherkassk, east of the Sea of Azov, in southern Russia.
SEE ALSO: The US Is Reportedly Refusing To Give Ukraine Intelligence About An Impending Russian Invasion