Curious about how Snopes' writers verify information and craft their stories for public consumption? We've collected some posts that help explain how we do what we do. Happy reading and let us know what else you might be interested in knowing.
Russian military forces continued to press toward Ukraine’s capital city bringing with them a massive convoy containing fuel, logistical operations, and armored vehicles — all of which were captured by satellite imagery.
Captured and processed by Maxar Technologies, a space tech company headquartered in Colorado, the photographs quickly went viral, and as of March 1, 2022, had been covered by publications including CNBC, Reuters, The Washington Post, and Axios. With offices around the world, Maxar partners with businesses and governments to “detect and predict change across the globe” using high-resolution imaging satellites.
On Feb. 27, 2022, the company detected a large deployment of Russian ground forces it said contained hundreds of military vehicles moving in the direction of Kyiv, the largest city and capital of Ukraine. Though the convoy photographed in the satellite images was said to extend 3.25 miles in length, it has been reported that the Russian convoy stretched an estimated 40 miles long as it struck Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv.
Spanning through the winter-stricken nation of Eastern Europe, the photographs showed the convoy inching toward the coveted city of Kyiv. As of this writing, the convoy is estimated to stretch from near Antonov airport in the south, where the world’s largest plane was destroyed, to the northern end of the convoy near Prybirsk (according to reporting by NPR).
The following photographs were captured in the four days after the initial invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.







Want to help break down misinformation on the internet? See more Snopes Ukraine coverage:
- No, Putin Was Not Compared to Hitler on the Cover of Time Magazine
- Did Crisis Actors Make a Propaganda Video in Ukraine?
- Did Russia’s Sberbank Limit Cash Withdrawals to $20?
- Does Ukrainian Road Sign Read ‘Go F*ck Yourself Back to Russia’?
Sources
About Us. https://www.maxar.com/about. Accessed 1 Mar. 2022.
Axios. “Satellite Images: Large Russian Convoy Moving toward Kyiv.” Axios, 27 Feb. 2022, https://www.axios.com/satellite-image-russian-troops-approach-kyiv-15cd8239-89a1-4c81-96fc-e433102643ba.html.
CNN, By Jack Guy. “World’s Largest Plane Destroyed in Ukraine.” CNN, https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/antonov-an-225-largest-plane-destroyed-ukraine-scli-intl/index.html. Accessed 1 Mar. 2022.
“Did Trump Mistakenly Say US Troops Had Landed in Ukraine?” Snopes.Com, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-us-troops-landed-ukraine/. Accessed 1 Mar. 2022.
Earth Intelligence | Geospatial Data | GIS Map Data, Analytics & Imagery. https://www.maxar.com/earth-intelligence. Accessed 1 Mar. 2022.
Ellyatt, Holly. “Huge Russian Convoy Approaches Kyiv as Fears of All-out Assault on the City Grow.” CNBC, 1 Mar. 2022, https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/01/huge-convoy-of-russian-vehicles-approaching-kyiv.html.
Reuters. “Russian Military Convoy North of Kyiv Stretches for 40 Miles -Maxar.” Reuters, 1 Mar. 2022. www.reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-military-convoy-north-kyiv-stretches-40-miles-maxar-2022-03-01/.
“Russia Pummels Ukraine’s No. 2 City and Convoy Nears Kyiv.” Snopes.Com, https://www.snopes.com/ap/2022/03/01/russia-pummels-ukraines-no-2-city-and-convoy-nears-kyiv/. Accessed 1 Mar. 2022.
“Russian Forces Shell Ukraine’s No. 2 City and Menace Kyiv.” Snopes.Com, https://www.snopes.com/ap/2022/02/28/russian-forces-shell-ukraines-no-2-city-and-menace-kyiv/. Accessed 1 Mar. 2022.
Snopes.Com, https://www.snopes.com/ap/2022/02/28/russian-forces-shell-ukraines-no-2-city-and-menace-kyiv/. Accessed 1 Mar. 2022.
“Satellite Images Show 40-Mile Convoy of Russian Forces Bearing down on Kyiv.” Washington Post. www.washingtonpost.com, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/01/russia-ukraine-40-mile-convoy/. Accessed 1 Mar. 2022.