Crimea Satellite Photos Show Wreckage of Space Radar Hit by Missiles

Satellite images released in the aftermath of a missile attack, which is reported to have targeted a Russian deep space network hub in annexed Crimea, appear to show destruction at a military facility.

U.S.-made ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) were used by Kyiv's forces to strike Russia's Center for Long-Range Space Communications. Russian Aerospace Forces occupy the facility in the village of Vitino in the Saky region, open-source intelligence X (formerly Twitter) account OSINTtechnical said on June 23.

Ukraine didn't claim responsibility for the strike, and Russian officials have yet to comment on the incident. Newsweek couldn't independently verify the use of ATACMS in the attack and has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry for comment by email.

The photos, dated May 20 and June 24, are from California-based global imaging company Planet Labs, and were first distributed by Schemes, an investigative project from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. An image showing the destruction following the attack was also shared by Planet Labs with Newsweek.

The images show multiple scorch marks and signs of damage, but the extent of the destruction remains unclear.

Schemes said that publicly available data shows that the site houses the Russian space radar center, which is "an important military part of the Russian space communication and satellite navigation system."

The center that was reportedly struck is one of three complexes that make up Russia's Yevpatoria Center for Deep Space Communications, which supports manned and robotic space missions. The facility was reportedly previously struck in December 2023 with British-supplied Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles.

Schemes cited military expert Anatoly Khrapchynskyi as saying that Russia's occupying forces stationed Lotus and Pion-NKS satellites at the site.

"'Pion-NKS', in particular, uses active radar for maritime reconnaissance and information gathering," Khrapchynskyi said.

He added that the Russian military could also use the Center for Long-Range Space Communications to control groups of satellites "designed to suppress the communications signals of enemy satellites."

Videos that circulated on social media in the aftermath of the strikes on Crimea showed large fires in Vitino and near the Russian deep space network hub.

"Satellites note two fires near the Russian 40th separate command and measuring complex (Long-Range Space Communications Center, NIP-16, military unit 81415)," the Crimea-based Telegram channel Crimean Wind said at the time.

Attacks on Crimea have ramped up throughout Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, as Kyiv looks to reclaim the Black Sea peninsula. The region was annexed by Moscow in 2014.

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