PRODUCTION: Le Monde
COUNTRY: France
YEAR: 2022
LENGTH: 7′
MADE BY: Asia Balluffier, Benjamin Pittet

Le Monde's documentary tells how social media has been a key resource in piecing together the disturbing preparations for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Iskander ballistic missiles, armoured vehicles: hundreds of videos shot in the winter of 2021-2022 show Russian military equipment being transported to the west.

Combined with satellite images, they document the unprecedented scale of this deployment. Less than 250 km from the Ukrainian border, at least fifteen military bases and camps have seen an unusual increase in their weaponry. In total, according to Ukraine and the US, approximately 100,000 Russian soldiers were deployed on the Ukrainian border between April 2021 and February 2022.