A surveillance satellite procured through a Ukrainian crowdfunding campaign has so far aided attacks on more than 1,500 Russian targets, Kyiv’s military intelligence service (HUR) has revealed.
The space asset, developed by Finnish microsatellite manufacturer ICEYE Ltd., has reportedly captured 4,173 images of Russian military facilities over the past year.
These include 370 airfields, 238 air defense and radio technical intelligence positions, 153 oil depots and fuel warehouses, and 17 naval bases.
The satellite was also able to take high-resolution imagery of 147 facilities that produce and store missiles, ammunition, and aviation weapons used by the Russian military.
According to HUR, 38 percent of these satellite images were used to prepare for Ukrainian attacks and helped cost Moscow “billions of dollars.”
Since the invasion began in February 2022, Russia has lost more than 500,000 soldiers, 8,000 tanks, 15,000 armored vehicles, and 871 air defense systems, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Monitoring Russian Movements
The satellite was purchased for the Ukrainian military in mid-2022 using $20 million initially raised for purchasing Bayraktar drones.
The deal covered the transfer of capabilities to the Ukrainian government since the space asset was already in orbit.
Kyiv did not have its own satellite before the invasion began, therefore it relied heavily on space intelligence provided by allies during the first months of the war.
Now, the ICEYE satellite allows Ukraine to track deployment points of Russia’s troops and closely monitor their military-industrial complex and logistics.
Furthermore, the crowdfunded asset helps identify the type of detected hostile combat aircraft, ships, and air defense systems.
“This makes it possible to trace the dynamics of Russia’s movements with its personnel, to reveal its military intentions in order to disrupt them,” the HUR said.
🔥 Просто космос ― результати використання «народного супутника» ICEYE
🤝Новий рівень якості та оперативності отримання розвідувальних даних став можливим завдяки @CharityPrytula і пожертвам українців на «народний байрактар».
🔗 https://t.co/4zS5dgcvkO pic.twitter.com/8NyYpLVCme
— Defence intelligence of Ukraine (@DI_Ukraine) June 26, 2024
People Power
The ICEYE satellite is not the first military asset bought using crowdfunding campaigns.
In July 2022, the Ukrainian military was reported building an “Army of Drones” using donations from foreign allies.
Ukrainian volunteers also started an international crowdsourcing campaign in 2023 to provide their military with a fleet of FV101 Scorpion armored reconnaissance vehicles.
Even NATO allies such as Lithuania collected financial donations to buy Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones for Kyiv’s forces.
