Vast Russian military convoy may be harbinger of a siege of Kyiv

Before last week, this hamlet was almost too small to notice, a place that cars would speed past on the P02 highway, those trees a blur.

In places, the military vehicles can be seen three abreast, almost blocking the road. Other images of the convoy seem to explain its belligerent purpose: fuel tankers and trucks carrying food, ammunition and soldiers.

And in some images released by Maxar on Monday, troops appeared to have arrived at where they would halt, deploying in camps outside the city, including in and around the town of Zdvyzhivka, to the north of Kyiv.

There is mounting, urgent concern among western officials that Russian forces are planning to employ siege tactics against Kyiv, cutting off supplies and routes in and out, before moving in.

Already, faced with the threat of the buildup barely an hour away, some of those residents of Kyiv not attempting to leave have been digging trenches and setting up barricades to repel the expected assault.

If those strikes go ahead, they are likely to be followed by a stepping up of artillery and missile strikes across the city before a possible armoured incursion.