Satellite images reveal a mysterious bridge – crossing a river at the Ukrainian border

On Tuesday, a noticeable difference was seen in satellite images over an area in southern Belarus. The Pripyat River – about six kilometers from the Ukrainian border – was suddenly crossed by a pontoon bridge, which attracted attention in many media outlets.

It is still not clear whether the Belarusian or Russian army was behind the bridge construction. But it may be part of the military exercises that Russian forces conducted in areas near the Ukrainian border recently.

“could be nice”

There may be other, more tactical explanations.

– It could be a preparation for the attack. Perhaps Russia knew that it would be discovered and built to draw attention to just that. It can also be a nice place to go with the troops there, but the real attack happens elsewhere. They could have built it and then removed it to show their ability or to see if it works, says Claes Levinson, associate professor at Uppsala University’s Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. to Aftonbladet.

Located in the forbidden zone of Chernobyl

Intelligence and military services in the West are now closely following the construction, considering it as part of Russian infrastructure reinforcements ahead of a possible invasion. the CNN writes, citing three sources. They noted, among other things, the proximity of the bronze to the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

Chernobyl is located a little more than 20 km southeast of the bridge, which means that it was created within the so-called “forbidden zone” – one of the most radioactively polluted areas in the world.

Field hospitals can be seen on satellite images

New satellite images, taken by Maxar Technologies, also show a recently established field hospital in the area.

More than 30 thousand Russian soldiers, along with Belarusian soldiers, recently took part in the Allied Resolve military exercises. The exercises took place in the central and southern parts of Belarus, a country that during the constant escalation became the main ally of Russia.