by Washington – The Trump government has suspended the support of the American satellite images for Ukraine, confirmed the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency on March 7.
The decision reduces the access of Ukraine to the commercial satellite image of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA), which since 2022 offered Ukraine electro -optic and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of multiple commercial external satellites remotely.
“In accordance with the directive of the administration on support on Ukraine, NGA temporarily suspended access to the Global Enhanced Goint-Supply System or Gegg, the primary portal for access to commercial images of the US government,” said a NGA spokesperson in a statement.
NGA is an American intelligence service that directly supports the Ministry of Defense and other federal agencies and offers geospatial intelligence to help decision makers with defense, intelligence and humanitarian efforts.
The decision to stop the access of Ukraine into the images of NGA is part of an abrupt policy shift by the administration that also includes stopping intelligence and military aid with Ukraine.
Ukraine’s GEGG -COCK
The GEGG platform, developed and supported by Maxar Intelligence, serves as an extensive source for satellite images obtained by the US government. The system collects images not only from Maxar, but also from other commercial providers, including Planet, Iceye, Blacksky, Capella Space and others.
Maxar confirmed the suspension of Ukrainian accounts in the GEGG system and noted that the company maintains contracts with both the US government and other countries.
“Every customer makes his own decisions about how they use and share that data,” said a Maxar spokesperson. “We take our contractual obligations very seriously. There is no change in the way we do not support our other customers or their programs or contracts. “
The break in sharing information is seen as a tactical step of the Trump administration to exert diplomatic pressure on Ukraine and push its leadership into peace negotiations with Moscow.
In 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US government authorized the delivery of commercial satellite images to Ukraine. This decision significantly strengthened the Battlefield -consciousness of Ukraine, so that the Russian troops and assessment of damage can supervise more accurately.
The war in Ukraine has been described by experts as the first “commercial space war” because of the unprecedented integration of private satellite images in military operations. Commercial satellite images have also played a crucial role in the media coverage, thereby documenting the progress of the war and emphasizes its humanitarian impact.
After the termination of the American intelligence aid, Ukrainian officials investigate alternative sources for satellite images. Ukrainian media reported that KYIV is in discussion with other countries and private companies to secure critical geospatial intelligence.
