The Ukrainian Armed Forces reportedly were cut off from Maxar satellite imagery on Wednesday after pro-Russian hackers compromised Maxar Technologies, the Mash Telegram channel reported.
According to the company, Maxar's satellite images provide 90% of the U.S. government's foundational geospatial intelligence, which is used for national security and keeping troops safe on the ground.
In Ukraine, the Maxar imagery has been used to "analyze the combat situation, prepare counteroffensives, and guide Western [artillery] systems such as HIMARS," Mash reported.
According to the channel, the Russian-aligned hackers Killnet and Beregini compromised the system by downloading data from Russian objects, disrupting Ukraine's access to the satellite imagery.
In a statement to Newsmax on Wednesday, Maxar denied Mash's report, saying: "That is not true. Our corporate systems are operating normally, and all our customers continue to have access to our imagery."
The cyberattack will "reduce the operational awareness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," making it "difficult to track troops and assess damage for months."
Ukraine's lost access to the Maxar satellite images comes amid an increasingly fraught geopolitical situation — complicated by the embattled country's Sunday drone attack on Russian airbases and aircraft — and as delegations from Moscow and Kyiv met this week in Istanbul for direct peace talks.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he discussed Ukraine's recent drone attack during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The conversation between the two leaders was confirmed by Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov.
Trump said Putin told him Moscow will have to respond to the Ukrainian attack, which has been described as Russia's Pearl Harbor.
"I just finished speaking, by telephone, with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "The call lasted approximately one hour and 15 minutes. We discussed the attack on Russia's docked airplanes, by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides.
"It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace. President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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