European market as Russian armored convoy appears heading to Kyiv

LONDON – European stocks are expected to open lower on Tuesday amid reports that a significant convoy of Russian armored vehicles is heading towards the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

UK FTSE The index is seen opening 46 points lower at 7,414, Germany’s DAX 129 points lower at 14,351, of France CAC 40 down 63 points at 6,600 and of Italy FTSE MIB 174 points lower at 25,175, according to data from IG.

Russia appears to have stepped up its track in its overnight invasion of Ukraine with reports and satellite images showing a convoy of about 65 kilometers by 40 miles (65 kilometers) of military vehicles. Russian troops are moving towards the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

The satellite images were taken by Maxar Technologies on Monday and show a convoy of armored trucks traveling sometimes with two or three vehicles on the road. However, official sources have not confirmed the convoy.

Other images from Maxar show additional military activity in southern Belarus, which borders Ukraine and is an ally of Russia, with the deployment of ground forces and ground attack helicopter units. seen in the pictures. Again, official sources have yet to confirm whether these units are preparing to join Russian forces in the attack on Ukraine. On Monday, there were unconfirmed reports that Belarus may be preparing to help Russia invade.

Asia – Pacific Market mostly rose Tuesday while US futures also rose in overnight trading ahead of the first trading session of March as investors continue to watch the skirmish between Russia and Ukraine.

Earnings in Europe come from Bayer, Covestro, HelloFresh and Zalando. Released data includes German retail sales for January and final eurozone manufacturing activity data for February.