Commercial Spy Satellites Are Playing A Significant Role In The Russia - Ukraine War

Source: Maxar Technologies/USA Today

Ukraine Today/Wall Street Journal: Ukraine War Puts Spy Satellites for Hire in the Spotlight 

AURORA, Colo.—Ukrainian forces hunting Russian tanks and tracking troop movement are being aided by imagery from a growing number of commercial spy satellites, giving Kyiv access to intelligence once the domain of only a few governments. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attack on his neighbor has coincided with a boom in the number and sophistication of commercial surveillance satellites, with hundreds now in orbit. Company officials say they are streaming data to the U.S. and allied governments, sometimes directly to Kyiv authorities to aid them in repelling Russia’s invading force, as well as to humanitarian groups to help them map the chaos and evacuate civilians. 

Even before Russian troops poured into Ukraine, satellites detailed the Kremlin’s plans. When Mr. Putin said his troops massing at the border were pulling back, satellites showed the opposite, and that Russia had built a bridge from Belarus for tanks to cross a river into Ukraine. “No one knew to look at that area,” Planet Labs PBC co-founder and Chief Executive Will Marshall said.  

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 Commercial Spy Satellites Are Playing A Significant Role In The Russia - Ukraine War 

Washington, Kiev Contract With Private Sector Spy Firms to Target Moscow’s Forces -- Antiwar.com  

U.S. Satellites Spying on Russia’s War Tap Commercial Technology -- Bloomberg 

How commercial spy satellites are changing war -- Boston Globe