Canada’s largest satellite firm is providing images to Ukraine

‘It’s all about ... doing the right thing and giving Ukraine the support’

Canada’s biggest satellite company has said it has been been granted permission by Canada’s government to give Ukraine access to its advanced satellite imagery.

The company, MDA, said on Tuesday that it was granted permission by the Canadian government on 4 March for Ukraine to see its highly advanced satellite imagery.

It comes after Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, made an appeal for the international community to provide SAR satellite imagery and data to track Russian troops.

“We badly need the opportunity to watch the movement of Russian troops,” Mr Fedorov said less than a week into the Russian invasion. “Especially at night when our technologies are blind.”

Mike Greenley, MDA’s chief executive officer, said MDA’s images would allow Ukraine’s military to “to develop comprehensive near real time intelligence reports” on the advancement of Russian forces as the invasion of Ukraine continues, in a statement.

“We can deliver intelligence reports and people can make determinations of what’s going on the ground, or on the sea, from our radar imagery,” he later explained in an interview with Reuters. “It’s all about ... doing the right thing and giving Ukraine the support that they need.”

The locations of Ukraine’s biggest cities (The Independent)

His deployment of MDA’s satellite technology will further aid Ukraine in its fight against Russian forces, with fighting now in its 14th day. Death tolls meanwhile remain unclear and figures from the United Nations suggest some 2 million people have fled their homes.

Mr Greenley added that MDA’s satellites can also see “vehicles, you can see changes to buildings, you can see changes to bridges, you can see ships at sea through all weather conditions day and night”.

The intelligence is set to be communicated securely through Western-based commercial agencies or governments, the MDA chief executive said, while adding that MDA had adopted a “slightly heightened security posture” in case of Russian retaliation.

“We’re honoured that we are able to use our radar satellite capabilities to continue to these international efforts, and will continue doing everything in our power to help the Government of Ukraine protect its citizens”.

Additional reporting by Reuters.