The convoy has split up and fanned out into towns and forests near Kyiv, with artillery pieces raised into firing position.
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Stalled 40-mile ‘death convoy’ moving again as battle of Kyiv edges closer
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Faye BrownFriday 11 Mar 2022 10:28 am
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The convoy has fanned out into towns and forests near Kyiv (Picture: EPA/MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES)
Russia is feared to be readying a massive assault on Kyiv after a stalled 40-mile ‘death convoy’ redeployed to surround the Ukrainian capital.
Satellite images reveal the huge mass of tanks and troops have now fanned out into nearby towns and forests, in an apparent bid to conceal themselves in civilian areas and prevent attacks.
Artillery pieces have been raised into firing position in a potentially ominous movement.
Tanks were also seen regrouping in towns near the Antonov Airport north of Kyiv – signalling a renewed push for control of the city.
The convoy had massed outside Kyiv early last week, but its advance appeared to stall as reports of food and fuel shortages circulated.
US officials said Ukrainian troops also targeted it with anti-tank missiles
Yesterday, a top Russian commander was reportedly killed after some of the convoy was destroyed in a Ukrainian ambush that saw Moscow suffer another setback in its goal of seizing the capital.
Ukrainian forces unleash devastating ambush on Russian tank column near Kyiv
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Still, the immediacy of the threat to Kyiv was unclear as of Friday. A US defence official speaking on condition of anonymity said Russian forces moving toward Kyiv had advanced about three miles in the past 24 hours, with some elements as close as nine miles from the city.
The official gave no indication that the convoy had dispersed or otherwise repositioned in a significant way, saying some vehicles were seen moving off the road into the tree line in recent days.
Meanwhile, the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) sad it is still ‘highly unlikely’ Russia has successfully achieved its invasion plan but will likely ‘re-posture’ for a renewed offensive.
‘Russian ground forces continue to make limited progress. Logistical issues that have hampered the Russian advance persist, as does strong Ukrainian resistance,’ MoD said in an intelligence update.
‘Russia is likely seeking to reset and re-posture its forces for renewed offensive activity in the coming days. This will probably include operations against the capital Kyiv.’
The convoy has dispersed int forests surrounding Kyiv (Picture: EPA)
The convoy was slowly advancing directly towards Kyiv but appears to have regrouped (Picture: Reuters)
It comes after Vladimir Putin
reportedly sacked eight top generals in anger over the slow pace of the invasion. The Russian leader is also said to be enraged with leaders of the FSB security service for handing him intelligence suggesting that Ukraine was weak, riddled with neo-Nazi groups, and would give up easily if attacked.
Oleksiy Danilov, head of Ukraine’s security council, said Moscow believed it would seize Kyiv in two to three days.
‘It hasn’t happened and never will,’ he said, adding ‘desperate’ Putin has ‘now switched to a different tactic’ by changing leadership.
Western officials said Russian forces have made little progress on the ground in recent days and are seeing heavier losses and stiffer Ukrainian resistance than Moscow anticipated.
But Putin’s forces have used air power and artillery to pummel Ukraine’s cities.
There are fears that as the isolated despot grows increasingly frustrated, he may resort to more extreme measures to achieve his aim, such as
using chemical weapons.
The West has stepped up efforts to isolate and sanction
Russia, particularly after a
deadly airstrike on a maternity hospital in the port city of Mariupol that Western and Ukrainian officials decried as a war crime.
. I'll be in big trouble if Ohio staties find out. Damn.
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