For the second time this month, Ukraine has struck the ‘Dubna’ space communications centre in the Moscow Region
For the second time this month, the Ukrainian Defence Forces have struck the ‘Dubna’ space communications centre in the Moscow region. A statement by Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Telegram notes that this satellite communications facility is used, in particular, for reconnaissance and to coordinate the activities of the Russian occupation forces in Ukraine.
The facility is more than 500 kilometres from Ukraine’s state border. It is also noted that the Defence Forces had previously struck four similar Russian centres in the Moscow and Vladimir regions.
On the night of 30 June, the Moscow region came under a large-scale drone attack. Drones were spotted in Domodedovo, Chekhov, Yegoryevsk, Kashira, Voskresensk, Pavlovsky Posad, Odintsovo, Bronnitsy, Ramenskoye, Stupino, Kolomna and Dubna.
According to preliminary reports, one of the strikes hit the ‘Dubna’ space communications centre directly. Footage showing a plume of smoke near the facility has appeared online.
According to Ukrainian monitoring sources, one Russian serviceman was killed as a result of the attack on the centre.
The ‘Dubna’ space communications centre was previously struck on 22 June. At that time, according to the Ukrainian side, extensive smoke was observed on the site.
At the time, the management of the state-owned enterprise ‘Kosmicheskaya Svyaz’ stated that television broadcasting and communications had continued without disruption, and that no staff had been harmed.
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during the previous attack, the hardware-modular complex of the 32-metre MARK-IV antenna and several buildings at the centre were damaged.
The ‘Dubna’ Space Communications Centre provides television broadcasting and data transmission services for state bodies and commercial operators, and also interfaces with the orbital satellite constellation. It forms part of Russia’s critical information infrastructure.
Also, on 24 June, Ukrainian drones struck the ‘Vladimir’ space communications centre in the town of Gus-Khrustalny. At the time, it was reported that two buildings at the complex had been damaged and set alight.
