How satellite technology is changing Ukraine's frontline battlefield

A year ago, satellite imagery could take days to reach frontline troops because of insufficient technology and too many layers of command. This makes it difficult for long-range drone strikes to hit targets that may move - such as troops hiding in houses. Now, a backup team monitoring the home has provided drone operators with an updated satellite image showing the car parked in the driveway, meaning Russian personnel were inside.

"Target confirmed," one of the operators whispered. In accordance with Ukrainian military regulations, he only revealed his call sign as "Diki".

Rapid delivery of high-quality satellite imagery to frontline troops has been one of the key technological advances on the battlefield over the past year. This allows Ukraine to quickly attack the deep hinterland of the Russian-occupied areas and even the weapons depots, logistics hubs and troop camps in Russia itself.

The truck used by Ziki and his partner, code-named "Jeplo," is actually a mobile command center equipped with multiple computers connected to commercial satellites.

A new tool developed by Dutch company Bravo1Alpha transmits images to a device that looks like a handheld game console, allowing operators to search for targets, plan flight paths, and even control drones to launch weapons.

In some cases, frontline troops can even control satellites themselves, quickly analyze satellite images to find targets, and then launch attacks. Quick access to satellite imagery can also help them confirm which targets have been hit and strike again if needed.

However, units still need approval from higher-level commanders to engage targets, reducing the risk of errors by less experienced operators. But the entire process has now been greatly simplified.

These advances bolster Ukraine's efforts to isolate the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula. Recently, the Ukrainian army used satellite strikes to destroy the ferry terminal that Russia needs to provide supplies to the peninsula, as well as the weapons and supply logistics routes that maintain the Russian army's combat forces in southern Ukraine.

In June, soldiers of the 422nd Independent Unmanned Systems Regiment of Ukraine used satellite imagery to locate and destroy several Russian facilities deployed in the occupied Zaporozhye region to interfere with Starlink signals. Many Ukrainian drones rely on Starlink for navigation. The force was also recently involved in an operation that destroyed multiple expensive Russian air defense systems in Crimea, among other targets.

"This is extremely valuable support," said Maj. Nikolai Kolesnik, the regiment's commander.

With the war in Ukraine essentially locked in a bloody stalemate, progress on the battlefield increasingly depends on who can master new technologies first to gain an advantage. Drones—whether in the air, on land, or at sea—have become the most effective means of killing or severely injuring enemies.

But when it comes to spotting enemies, the technology isn't as efficient. Reconnaissance drones may be shot down or their signals jammed. They also have limited range and coverage.

Space is the next frontier.

Even before the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war breaks out in 2022, Ukraine has already used satellite images provided by allied governments and commercial enterprises to fight against Russia. But until recently, satellite imagery was a scarce resource. Only senior commanders have access to this type of information for use in high-level strategic planning.

Even this access is limited and susceptible to interference. . For example, in March 2025, President Trump ordered the Pentagon to stop sharing satellite imagery with Ukraine, only to later resume it.

Ukraine's access to satellite imagery has expanded significantly in the past year or so, with providers including the U.S. government and private companies. Commercial company Vantor has been working with Ukraine for years and recently launched six new satellites, bringing its total number of satellites to 10. Will Cocos, the company's chief transformation officer, said that these satellites can now cover up to 7 million square kilometers of the world every day, enough to scan the Ukrainian battlefield multiple times.

These satellites can photograph the same area up to 15 times a day, helping soldiers detect subtle changes in the terrain that may mean Russian targets may be present there.

Cocos said that what is more helpful to the frontline war in Ukraine is that the threshold for frontline troops to obtain images has been greatly lowered.

Images can be obtained in as little as 15 minutes, but more commonly it takes several hours. Even so, it's still a huge improvement over the days it sometimes took not so long ago.

"Basically, we're putting the satellite directly into their hands," Cocos said. "They tell the satellite what to photograph."

The advent of drone warfare has changed the face of the battlefield since the war began. Gone are the large armored units, logistics hubs, and soldier clusters that were easy to detect and attack in the past.

"Our regiment hasn't seen a tank in six months," Major Kolesnik said. "Their tanks are hidden in bunkers."

Major Kolesnik insisted on meeting in a forest belt outside the city of Zaporizhia in southern Ukraine, rather than at a command post or in the city because he was worried about the drones hovering overhead.

Commercial satellite companies maintain long-term archives of satellite imagery, so frontline commanders can study subtle changes in the environment—ruts in fields, fallen trees, newly cleared land, for example—that could indicate targets lurking within.

"Overall, this feels like a revolution in military technology," said Robert Trust, a military expert at the Royal United Services Defense Institute, a think tank in London.

In that forest belt, two Ukrainian drone operators monitored the house where Russian personnel were hiding while waiting for the target to be confirmed. The soldier code-named Jiepro played a video on his mobile phone of a recent strike carried out with satellite support. The picture shows a dense forest in the Kherson area, and there are no obvious military targets. But after weeks of studying satellite images, soldiers discovered some ruts leading deeper into the woods that were not present in earlier images. In another video, the same woods have been transformed into an inferno of burning vehicles.

"This was an ideal operation," Jeplow said. "Actually, it's scary. Nothing can help you."