What do the satellite recordings of the movements of the Russian troops show, and what do they not show?

In recent days, high-resolution photographs taken by commercial satellite companies such as Maxar show Russian troops, airports, artillery and other operations on the Russian side of the Ukrainian border, in southern Belarus, as well as in Crimea, which annexes Russia. 2014. From Ukraine.

The images confirmed what US and other Western officials had said: Russian forces were inside Ukraine.

However, they could not provide definitive information on the entry or withdrawal of Russian troops, nor could they reveal when and how the invasion of Ukraine would take place. In such an unstable crisis, even satellite imagery made in recent days could lag behind significant changes in the industry.

Western officials, citing their own sources, denied Moscow’s claim that some forces had been withdrawn. The Russians have recently re-deployed another 7,000 troops on the border.

Commercial satellite images alone cannot contain this amount of detail in real time, or allow detailed conclusions about the increase in Russian forces, such as the total number of troops.

He said the provision of information by a company like Maxar was very good, but not as accurate and real-time as that provided by the US leadership’s own confidential data collection systems. James StavritisRetired Admiral of the Navy who was NATO’s Commander-in-Chief of Europe from 2009 to 2013.

Therefore, I firmly agree with what the US government is saying

He added. He noted that even before commercial satellite images became widely available and appeared on online interfaces, Russia, the United States and other powers were able to cover up their most important military movements and deployments close to real-time public scrutiny. Although the public can get a better picture today, These images are accurate, detailed and immediate that can be collected by the US military.

By combining satellite images and real-time video with electronic data collected by the Air Force’s RC-135 Rivet joint aircraft, the U.S. military and intelligence agencies can get a better picture of what is happening, not to mention human resources. The U.S. government has contracted with commercial satellite companies to provide relief and photographs for other collecting information needed for critical information.

Commercial satellite images, as a snapshot over time, do not provide irrefutable evidence of what the Russian military does and why.

We can find a site that looks like a site with a lot of functions and can make some general decisions. But a lot of information is needed on what they are doing there and which divisions are involved

– He said Hans Christensen. As director of the Atomic Information Program of the American Scientists Association, the expert extensively studied commercial satellite imagery to study the development of nuclear weapons in China and elsewhere.

Cover image: Satellite image released by Maxar Technologies on February 14, 2022, on the shores of Lake Donoslav in the Crimea. MTI / EPA / Maxar Technologies