Russia continues to deploy troops, equipment to Ukraine's borders

This was reported on CIT’s Telegram channel, according to Ukrinform.

In the video taken on March 17 in Rostov-on-Don, a train carrying main battle tanks is seen, which, according to the Russian Railways database, is heading from Russia’s remote Primorsky Krai. Another video, shot north of the city on March 18 shows a train carrying military trucks and armored personnel carriers purportedly coming from the Caucasus or the Krasnodar Territory.

In addition to military equipment, military engineering vehicles are being shipped. For example, in Irkutsk region, a lot of REM-KL and MTP-A2 military tow trucks have been spotted, which may be needed to tow abandoned or destroyed military hardware. On the outskirts of St. Petersburg on March 18, a train was seen carrying pontoon building equipment.

The CIT noted that the intensity of deployment is now lower than a month before the war. According to analysts, Russia may have at its disposal up to 40 battalion tactical groups yet to be used, which could amount to a total of over 20,000 servicemen. "Of course, there are legitimate questions arising as regards their level of training and combat capabilities," the CIT said.

On February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine. Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.