These videos are part of an effort to map, track, and document the build up of Russian military forces on the eastern border of Ukraine in the spring and summer of 2014.  Using Google Earth and other satellite and mapping resources, I located over 43 specific sites within 15km of the Ukrainian border where the Russian military built temporary bases for their forces.  In mid-August 2014, the Ukrainian military for the first time since the outbreak of the conflict encountered heavily armed and well trained armored and artillery forces as they pursued the Russian backed rebels in the Summer offensive.  The dates that the Ukrainian military encountered these forces coincides with the Russian bases along their border being emptied of forces and, in many cases, bulldozed.  The Russian government continues to deny the direct involvement of the Russian Armed Forces in the war.  The satellite images also confirm that the Russian military was routinely firing heavy artillery from Russian soil across the border, targeting the Ukrainian military advance.

(Russian language version)