Thanks to the ICEYE satellite and data of other satellites bought with money that Ukrainians donated to Serhiy Prytula’s foundation in August 2022, the Ukrainian army can now see both night and day. Only in the first two days of the work of the satellite, 60 pieces of hidden Russian equipment were noticed, not visible otherwise, Ukraine’s Defense Minister informed.
“For obvious reasons, I cannot reveal all the details, but just imagine: in the first two days of the satellite’s operation, more than 60 units of military equipment were discovered, which the enemy tried to disguise in forests and behind other obstacles,” Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov said. “It was discovered because the ICEYE satellites collect information using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology. So far, all our expectations have been completely fulfilled. Satellites with SAR technology become especially relevant in autumn and winter when the weather is bad, cloudy, or snowy. There is no difference for them is it day or night. Therefore, the enemy will not hide.“
The Minister shared data about the operation of the satellite a month after it was purchased with $16mn that Ukrainians donated in a few days to Serhiy Prutyla’s foundation in August. Initially, the money was planned to be spent on 3 Bayraktar drones but after the Turkish Baykar company provided them for free, Prytula decided to buy a satellite. He is head of the second largest Ukrainian voluntary foundation supporting the army.
“I want to once again thank the entire volunteer community for the versatile, powerful, competent support for our soldiers,” Reznikov also said. “It’s real synergy. The advantage of the defense department is in the scale of activity and systematic processes. The strength of volunteers lies in their mobility, flexibility, and absence of formalities that burden the process of spending budget funds. For example, in 5 months, the Ministry of Defense delivered more than 500,000 units of body armor to the Armed Forces of Ukraine only under direct contracts with manufacturers. Thanks to systematic work, reserves of more than units of 150,000 body armor were formed. But in March-April, the operational assistance of citizens and businesses working in volunteer structures was priceless for equipping the army that was growing explosively. In the same way, non-linear projects are sometimes easier and faster to launch as people’s initiatives. When a heroic and professional army relies on such a nation, the victory of Ukraine is inevitable.“
Ukrainian charity buys satellite for Army with funds saved from Bayraktar fundraiser
