DIU says "People’s Satellite" helped destroy Russian targets worth billions of dollars. PHOTO
Since September 2022, Ukrainian intelligence has obtained over 5,900 satellite images of Russian targets thanks to the "People's Satellite" project.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by the Defence Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.
How the "People's Satellite" works
The Defence Intelligence stated that space intelligence units receive new satellite images every day.
These are used to track targets in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and in Russia, identify military targets, plan strikes and assess the consequences of strikes.
Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Defence Intelligence, emphasised that access to space technology has become critically important for modern warfare.
"The ‘People’s Satellite’ has become Ukraine’s first sharp eyes in orbit – we can see where to aim, we understand what is the best way to strike, and we have control over the consequences of strikes," Yusov said.
According to him, the satellite’s operations have already resulted in multi-billion-dollar losses for the Russian army.
What SAR technology enables
Intelligence sources explained that the satellite uses SAR radar surveillance technology.
It allows high-quality images to be obtained regardless of weather, cloud cover or time of day.
The resolution of individual images can reach up to 0.25 metres per pixel, and a single image covers an area of up to 225 square kilometres.
How Ukraine acquired the satellite
The "People’s Satellite" was launched in 2022 thanks to an initiative by Serhiy Prytula’s Charitable Foundation.
At that time, funded by Ukrainians and businesses, the Defence Intelligence (DIU) gained control of a satellite from the Finnish company ICEYE and access to the entire ICEYE satellite image database.
The Defence Intelligence thanked the Ukrainians who contributed to the fundraising and emphasised that this investment in Ukrainian security has already proven its effectiveness.
