Ukraine reveals how "people's satellite" funded by donations has helped wipe out billions of dollars' worth of Russian military assets
Since September 2022, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) has received more than 5,900 radar satellite images from the "people's satellite", an ICEYE satellite acquired by the Serhii Prytula Foundation and funded entirely by donations from the Ukrainian public.
Source: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine
Details: DIU space intelligence units receive fresh satellite imagery daily, which is used to track objects in occupied territories and Russia, identify military targets, plan strikes and assess the results of attacks.
The satellite images DIU has posted show Russian military facilities, aircraft, air defence positions and fuel and weapons depots.
"Access to space technologies plays a critically important role in modern warfare, and the 'people's satellite' was Ukraine's first reliable eyes in orbit – we can see where to aim, we understand what weapons to use, and we can monitor the results of strikes," said DIU spokesperson Andrii Yusov.
Yusov said the people's satellite has resulted in "multi-billion-dollar losses for Russia" and strengthened Ukraine's resilience, and that Ukraine continues to press ahead with these efforts.
DIU explained that SAR radar observation technology enables imaging regardless of the time of day, weather conditions or cloud cover. The resolution of individual images can reach 0.25 metres per pixel, and a single frame can cover an area of up to 225 sq km.
For reference: The "people's satellite" is a project implemented in 2022 by the Serhii Prytula Charitable Foundation, in which DIU received operational control of a satellite belonging to the Finnish aerospace company ICEYE and access to the ICEYE constellation's satellite imagery database.
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