Ukraine targets Russian space facilities with drone and missile strikes

Ukraine has escalated its campaign against Russia’s space programme, striking key facilities with long-range drones and missiles in a tactical shift to disrupt Moscow’s military and civilian satellite operations.

The move follows a pattern of high-profile attacks, including a recent bombing at a Moscow restaurant that killed at least five people, including the son-in-law of Russian Aerospace Forces chief Aleksandr Chayko. While the Kremlin blamed Kyiv, Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the restaurant blast. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has openly boasted about strikes on Russian space infrastructure, such as the June attack on the Dubna space communications centre, which damaged critical satellite and military data systems.

Experts say these strikes threaten Russia’s ability to manage its satellites, which are vital for intelligence, navigation, and coordinating ground troops and missile attacks. Many of these facilities are in western Russia, well within range of Ukraine’s growing arsenal of long-range drones. Nikolay Mitrokhin, a researcher at Germany’s University of Bremen, warned that continued attacks could cripple Russia’s entire space programme, including civilian and international projects. Anatoly Zak, a US-based Russian space programme expert, added that relocating these facilities is nearly impossible due to their specialized roles in managing geostationary satellites.

The impact is already being felt. In late June, a Ukrainian drone strike on Dubna damaged a 32-metre satellite antenna and other key infrastructure. While no satellites have yet been lost, Zak noted there are likely "serious communication problems" behind the scenes. Ukraine has also targeted smaller space communication centres in western Russia and Crimea. With Ukraine’s drones now reaching as far as the Arkhangelsk region—1,800km away—the pressure on Russia’s space capabilities is only expected to grow.