A keen-observed satellite captured images of the missile being loaded onto a Russian submarine on Friday (29/4). This photo further adds to the concerns about the war situation between Russia and Ukraine.
A new photo taken by the Maxar Technologies WorldView-2 spacecraft shows what appears to be a Kalibr missile next to a Kilo-class submarine docked in Sevastopol, an important Black Sea port on the Crimean Peninsula.
"Images reveal the bow of the Kilo submarine with an extension to load missiles, as well as two trucks positioned nearby that were used to transport the missiles to the dock to load them onto the submarine," a Maxar representative wrote in an emailed statement.
Russia recently attacked Ukraine with submarine-launched Kalibr missiles in the Black Sea, Maxar representatives noted in the statement. In addition to photos of the submarine, WorldView-2 also captured a bird's-eye view of Sevastopol on Friday (29/4), as well as an image of a dolphin enclosure at the entrance to the city's harbor. Russia may use trained dolphins to protect the harbor from infiltration by Ukrainian divers, NBC News reported Thursday.
Satellites operated by Maxar and other private companies such as Planet and BlackSky have been helping government officials, aid workers and the wider public monitor Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24.
Russia initially attacked Ukraine extensively, but has recently focused more on the south and east of the country, having been pushed back in other areas. Sevastopol and the entire Crimean Peninsula were Ukrainian territory until February 2014, when Russia invaded and annexed the territory.