If the U.S. blocks intelligence sharing again, Ukraine will be able to obtain satellite data from Europe and process it independently.
Dmitro Khmara, the founder of the Aerobavovna and Space Cossacks projects and a “space” enthusiast, said this in a comment to Ukrinform.
“We have enough data, despite one American company stopping its supply. And no one prohibits other companies analyzing data from purchasing images from Maxar and using them for intelligence. At least, I haven’t heard that this scheme has stopped working,” he said.
According to the expert, satellite images can be received in Ukraine from several sources. For instance, the American company Planet Lab has more than a hundred satellites and provides access to these images for Ukraine. Some Ukrainian companies buy images from Airbus and process them. Additionally, a significant source of satellite imagery remains the Finnish startup ICEYE. In 2022, Serhii Prytula Foundation acquired access to them, and in July 2024, ICEYE and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine signed a memorandum of cooperation.
“All the necessary data for military operation planning and early warning systems can be obtained. Ukraine has its own commercial companies that specialize in image processing. Even without our own satellites, Ukraine has the tools to process data as thousands of specialists from various commercial companies can fill this gap,” explained Khmara.
At the same time, he stated that cooperating with the American company Maxar Technologies was beneficial due to specific features of its technologies and services. “Maxar provided us with extremely high-precision images — you could even distinguish a person and identify military equipment very accurately. The best available technology belongs to this company. They also provided analysis of their images, which is an additional service,” the expert noted.
Other companies, such as Airbus, Boeing, ICEYE, and other European firms that share satellite images with Ukraine, do not process their information.
As previously reported, on March 7, the American company Maxar Technologies, which had been providing satellite intelligence data to Ukraine, suspended access to its images due to an order from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
On March 11, talks between Ukrainian and American delegations took place in Saudi Arabia, during which Kyiv agreed to a 30-day ceasefire along the frontline (provided that Russia agrees to these terms). The U.S. responded to this decision by announcing the restoration of military aid and intelligence sharing.
Photo: maxar.com
Source: Founder of Aerobavovna and Space Cossacks: Ukraine receives satellite images from several sources
