New Maxar satellite imagery collected over the past 48 hours (December 15-17th) in Syria reveal that Russian military vehicles and equipment continue to be withdrawn from the Khmeimim airbase near Latakia and likely arrived at the nearby port of Tartus.
On December 15th, a group of military trucks, armored personnel carriers (APC) and personnel were seen assembled on the tarmac at the Khmeimim airbase. An Il-76 transport aircraft was parked nearby the equipment and several additional transport aircraft were also seen at the airbase.
In likely related activity, on this morning’s imagery (December 17th) a group of military trucks and APC had arrived and were positioned in the military section of the Tartus port facilities. No military or transport-associated ships were seen at the port that would probably be used for loading the vehicles/equipment
New Maxar satellite imagery collected over the past 48 hours (December 15-17th) in Syria reveal that Russian military vehicles and equipment continue to be withdrawn from the Khmeimim airbase near Latakia and likely arrived at the nearby port of Tartus.
On December 15th, a group of military trucks, armored personnel carriers (APC) and personnel were seen assembled on the tarmac at the Khmeimim airbase. An Il-76 transport aircraft was parked nearby the equipment and several additional transport aircraft were also seen at the airbase.
In likely related activity, on this morning’s imagery (December 17th) a group of military trucks and APC had arrived and were positioned in the military section of the Tartus port facilities. No military or transport-associated ships were seen at the port that would probably be used for loading the vehicles/equipment
There was another possible development: Reuters also reported that Ukraine said that Belarus could soon join the invasion of Ukraine. However, the AFP, citing a Pentagon official, said the U.S. hasn’t yet seen evidence that Belarusian troops are in Ukraine. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been a driving force in markets for the past few weeks. Overall, extreme levels of fear in the market seems to have morphed into something more resembling concern. For example, the Cboe Volatility Index fell from its 2022 peak of 36, which it hit Monday, to around 30 on Friday, a sign of easing tensions. Meanwhile, while the price of WTI crude oil slipped from Sunday’s multiyear high $130 of barrel to $109 a pop. Markets have been expecting heavy restrictions on Russian oil, some of which the U.S. has already imposed, and that would reduce the global supply and bring about even more burdensome inflation. That hurt tech stocks. For the past few weeks, the 10-year yield has traded between 1.72% and 2%, as traders moved into the bond for safety when Russia headlines were ugly—and out of it when headlines improved. Now, the yield is touching its pandemic-era high. If the yield breaks above that level, that could signal that it’s on a sustainable path higher. Higher long-dated bond yields make future profits less valuable—and many tech companies are valued on the basis of profits forecast for many years in the future. False news often spreads via public groups, or chats, with potentially fatal effects.
from sa
