- New satellite images appear to show a new pontoon bridge over a potentially strategic waterway near Ukraine.
- Russia has built up forces in Belarus, and such a bridge could be useful in an assault on Kyiv.
- Russia has said its presence in Belarus is for training, but many in the West are unconvinced.
As the possibility of a Russian invasion of Ukraine looms large, new satellite images taken this week show the construction of new roads and an apparent pontoon bridge over the Pripyat River at a position in Belarus just a few miles from the Ukrainian border.
The bridge appeared overnight Tuesday in an area close to 4 miles from the Belarus-Ukraine border, CNN reported. It is unclear if the bridge seen in the high-resolution satellite imagery taken by Maxar Technologies on Tuesday is still there.
Sky News reported that in recent days, the bridge has been constructed and deconstructed, prompting a Western official to note that “this activity is highly unusual [and] inconsistent with any past exercise we have seen.”
It is unclear who constructed the bridge, Russia or Belarus, but both countries have forces training together in Belarus.. Building and then disassembling a pontoon bridge — a floating bridge designed for the movement of troops, as well as tracked and wheeled vehicles across a strategic waterway — could be a kind of practice for expeditionary bridging in a conflict.
There are a lot of unknowns surrounding the bridge and its purpose, but by bridging the Pripyat in a fight with Ukraine, forces in Belarus could cross the river and advance toward the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, CNN reported. The photos of the bridge, however, did not show any armor assets nearby.
Troops train to rapidly erect expeditionary bridges like these by connecting floating modules that span a river’s width, allowing forces to readily maneuver and be less dependent on existing bridges that may be damaged or destroyed in a conflict. Kyiv, which sits on the banks of the Dneiper river, could be assaulted from its northwest if Russian forces were to ford the Pripyat river.