Ukrainian donations lead to better satellite images for armed forces

Kiev, Aug 20 (IANS) The Ukrainian military is getting fast access to highly accurate satellite images in its war with Russia thanks to a fundraising campaign.According to a contract with the Finnish provider ICEYE, the Ukrainian government is allowed to use a radar satellite around the clock, which also provides images at night or in clouds.The money comes from a fundraising campaign in Ukraine launched by TV presenter Serhiy Prytula.Media reports say about 600 million hryvnias ($16.2 million) have been raised, which were actually intended to buy Turkish Bayraktar combat drones.When the manufacturer donated the drones instead, use of the satellite was purchased with the funds, dpa news agency reported.Combining the reconnaissance images with modern weapons will open up new possibilities for the armed forces against invaders Russia, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Resnikov wrote on Facebook on Friday."Let's assume that soon any HIMARS, M270 or MARS II, as well as any weapon or self-propelled gun with high-precision projectiles will be able to destroy the enemy more effectively," he said.The weapon systems he mentioned are long-range multiple rocket launchers. Ukraine has already used them to hit Russian ammunition depots far behind the front lines in recent weeks.
--IANS int/khz/

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