A nearly two-kilometer fort has been built outside the Russian-occupied town of Hirske in eastern Ukraine, new satellite images from Maxar Technologies show.
The fort is made up of four rows of cement pyramids that the Russians hope will stop any Ukrainian vehicles and tanks from moving east. A large trench is located behind the anti-tank fortifications.
Additional satellite images from the European Space Agency show that the excavation of the trench was carried out in two parts: the first section of the trench was dug from 25 September; the second section of the trench was dug sometime between 30 September and 5 October.
Two Russian media outlets reported on the site of the fort, which they called the “Wagner Line”, referring to the Russian mercenary Wagner Group. TV Zvedza, the media outlet for the Russian military, said it was a “second line of defense” if the Ukrainians tried to invade the area.
While the fortification can help defend against a frontal attack, there is nothing to stop Ukrainian forces from just traveling around the fortifications, which stretch for just 1.6 km or just over a mile.
RIA/FAN, a Russian tabloid, published a map on Wednesday claiming that the Wagner group would continue building its “line” until it extended east from the Russian-Ukrainian border to Kreminna and then south to Svitlodarsk.
A CNN analysis of the map showed that such a long fort would span about 217 km, or 135 miles.
Additional satellite images analyzed by CNN showed no other construction along the supposed path of the “Wagner Line”.
It is not the first time that the Wagner Group has used trenches to strengthen its positions. By 2021, the mercenary group had built around 40 miles, over 70 km, of trenches in the Libyan desert to prevent ground attacks on their positions there.
Source: CNN Brasil
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