Conflict Intelligence Team states that Russian multiple rocket launch systems «Uragan» are presumably near Rechitsa. The assumption is based on the material in the blog Digital Forensic Research Lab under the Expert Group of the Atlantic Council about the arrival of Russian troops in Belarus, the photo of the author of the article Michael Sheldon on Twitter and the tweet of user @danvan71, who geolocated a similar frame on a video from TikTok on the M10 highway near the Ivanovka stop, 7 km from Rechitsa.
Allegedly Russian troops near Rechitsa. pic.twitter.com/IyuGT99iFV
— Michael Sheldon (michaelsheldon.bsky.social) (@Michael1Sheldon) January 18, 2022
CIT notes that there are no training grounds in this area where the Belarusian-Russian drills «Union Resolve» should take place, but it is about 40 km to the Chernihiv region and about 90 km to the Kyiv region from there.
Given the statements of CNN sources that, according to intelligence information, Russia may try to seize Kyiv and overthrow the government in Ukraine, the presence of Russian equipment near the Ukrainian border raises concerns, CIT writes.
«The fact is that all the main government buildings in Kyiv are located on the west bank of the Dnieper, and a possible offensive from the north makes it possible not to overcome such a significant water barrier (in contrast to the offensive from the Russian-Ukrainian border),» the CIT team says.
Investigators note that the number of Russian troops north of Kyiv is not known exactly, since some of the troops proceeded to the places of the drills.
«At the moment, it seems likely to us that the purpose of this concentration is to force the Ukrainian command to keep part of the forces on the west bank of the Dnieper to cover Kyiv, which will limit the ability to counter a potential Russian operation in eastern Ukraine,» the CIT believes.
Source: Reform.by
