Satellite Photos Show Russian Convoy Has Broken Up

Satellite photos show that a massive Russian convoy that had been mired outside the Ukrainian capital has split up and fanned out into towns and forests near Kyiv, with artillery pieces moved into firing positions, reports the AP. Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showed that 40-mile convoy of vehicles, tanks, and artillery has broken up and been redeployed, the company said. Armored units were seen in towns near the Antonov Airport north of the city. Some of the vehicles have moved into forests, Maxar reported, with towed howitzers nearby in position to open fire.

The convoy had massed outside the city early last week, but its advance appeared to have stalled amid reports of food and fuel shortages. US officials said Ukrainian troops also targeted the convoy with anti-tank missiles. A US defense official speaking on condition of anonymity said some vehicles were seen moving off the road into the tree line in recent days, but the official could not confirm whether the convoy had dispersed. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said about 2 million people, half the population of the metropolitan area, have left the capital. "Every street, every house … is being fortified," he said. "Even people who in their lives never intended to change their clothes, now they are in uniform with machine guns in their hands."

(More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)