In a move that came amid intense tension over whether Putin planned to escalate his military operation in Ukraine, satellite images showed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had increased the number of his strategic bombers stationed at an air base near the Finnish-Norwegian border

The Russian President has gradually increased the number of strategic bombers at the Olenya air base, reaching 11 Tupolev 160 hypersonic bombers nicknamed the White Swan.

There are 7 Tu-160 strategic bombers in newly released satellite imagery, and four Tu-95 aircraft in the facility on the Kola peninsula, located in Russia's northwestern far north, and in the Arctic Circle.

This disclosure comes from Factsick, an independent Norwegian fact-checking site, which obtained data from the US satellite operator Planet.

The bombers are stationed about 185km from the border of NATO member Norway and about 152km from Finland, which will soon become a member of the Alliance.