Russian convoy near Kyiv has dispersed and artillery is in firing position, new satellite images show

Russian forces that are headed towards Kyiv have advanced closer, says US official

The nearly 40-mile-long massive convoy near Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has “largely dispersed” with artillery now in firing positions, according to the latest satellite images by Maxar.

The Russian armoured military column amassed with vehicles, tanks and artillery that was stranded roughly 20 miles (32km) from Kyiv for days has been redeployed, in a renewed signal of Moscow’s push towards the capital.

US firm Maxar Technologies said the armoured units were seen in towns near the Antonov Airport, north of Kyiv.

Some parts of the convoy have been moved into the forests with towed howitzers in firing positions nearby.

Russian forces that are headed towards Kyiv have advanced about three miles closer to the city in the past 24 hours, a US defence official said on Thursday.

The official said vehicles were also seen moving off the road and into the tree line in recent days.

The Russian troops are trying to close in on the city from the north-west were now just nine miles away from the centre of the city, the official said. And the Russian forces advancing from north-east were now 25 miles away.

The convoy – which sparked fears when first seen through satellite imagery with its capability of taking over Kyiv – was targeted by Ukrainian troops with anti-tank missiles according to US officials.

A handout satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows people and cars waiting by Irpin river bridge (EPA)

This came as three air strikes in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, close to a kindergarten and an apartment building, killed at least one person, state emergency services said.

As more international efforts to isolate and sanction Russia continued, the spokesperson for Russia forces said they destroyed 3,213 Ukrainian military installations since the launch of what Russia calls a “special military operation”.

Meanwhile, Russian state media reported that the Ukraine’s city of Volnovakha, which is a northern gateway to the besieged port of Mariupol, has been captured by pro-Russia rebels. However, this is yet to be confirmed by Ukraine.

More satellite images showed fuel-tanks on fire and emanating smoke in at the Russian-controlled Antonov Airbase. A thick, black plume of smoke was seen rising from the tanks from the airbase.

A handout satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows fires at the fuel storage area of Antonov airport in Hostomel, (EPA)

A warehouse outside Kyiv’s limits in Stoyanka and the Epicentre K supermarket in Chernihiv were gutted in the fire, the images showed. The charred remains of the building without roofs were seen.

The war has forced at least two million people — around half its population — to flee the capital amid fears of a major and bloody siege, according to mayor Vitali Klitschko.

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