Maxar Technologies, a leading commercial satellite imagery provider, has reportedly cut off Ukraine’s access to its satellite images.
Several users of the commercial service confirmed the restriction to Ukrainian defense publication Miliyarnyi on the condition of anonymity.
According to users who received notifications from Maxar’s administration, the access termination was executed “by administrative request.” However, sources indicate that the decision follows a broader U.S. government ban on providing Ukraine with satellite reconnaissance data.
The restriction is linked to a policy implemented by the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, which prohibited American companies and commercial services from supplying satellite data to Ukraine. The ban applies to both government agencies and private entities in the country.
Maxar Technologies has been one of Ukraine’s primary sources of commercial satellite imagery, widely used to track Russian military movements and assess the impact of strikes on key targets. Ukrainian users have relied on these images for intelligence on occupied territories and strategic locations within Russia.
Beyond military applications, Maxar’s satellite images have played a critical role in global media coverage of the war. International news organizations have frequently used its imagery to document battlefield developments and analyze the progress of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
The restriction represents a major setback for Ukraine’s intelligence-gathering capabilities, as access to high-resolution satellite images has been instrumental in planning operations and verifying battlefield events. The full extent of the impact remains unclear.
Maxar’s statement on media reports regarding access rights to Maxar imagery:
Maxar has contracts with the U.S. government and dozens of allied and partner nations around the world to provide satellite imagery and other geospatial data. Each customer makes their own decisions on how they use and share that data.
One of those contracts is GEGD (the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery program), a U.S. government program that provides access to commercial satellite imagery that has been tasked and collected by the U.S. government. The U.S. government has temporarily suspended Ukrainian accounts in GEGD.
“We take our contractual commitments very seriously. There is no change to the way we support our other customers nor their programs or contracts,” Maxar stated.
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