Ukraine’s Drones Reach Russia’s ICBM and Military Satellite Launch Hub for First Time

Ukrainian drones reached Russia’s northern Arkhangelsk region, home to the strategic Plesetsk military cosmodrome used to launch military satellites and intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to OSINT analysis published by Russian independent media outlet Astra on August 23.

The incident appears to mark the first documented case of Ukrainian drones reaching the Arkhangelsk region, extending Kyiv’s deep-strike reach into Russia’s far north.

Russian monitoring resource Locator Rossii reported that at least two drones reached the Plesetsk area.

ASTRA analyzed photographs taken by local residents and said smoke could be seen rising in the vicinity of the military spaceport. The images were reportedly taken from Mirny, a closed city established during the Soviet era specifically to support operations at Plesetsk.

The exact target and consequences of the reported drone operation remain unclear.

Astra also geolocated footage published by Ukrainian monitoring channel Supernova+ showing a drone flying above Kargopol in the Arkhangelsk region. The aircraft was traveling in the direction of Plesetsk, located roughly 170 kilometers, or 105 miles, away.

Local residents separately recorded two drones flying through the region and posted footage of the aircraft online.

Temporary flight restrictions were introduced at an airfield near the Plesetsk Cosmodrome because of the potential drone threat, under Russia’s emergency airspace closure procedure known as the Carpet Plan.

Plesetsk is Russia’s principal northern military spaceport and plays a significant role in both its military space program and strategic missile testing.

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War in Ukraine

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Russia has repeatedly launched Soyuz-2 and Angara rockets carrying military spacecraft from the facility. The cosmodrome is also being used to deploy Rassvet communications satellites, part of Moscow’s effort to build a domestic satellite internet network comparable to SpaceX’s Starlink.

Russia plans to have 292 Rassvet communications satellites in orbit by the end of 2027, making the program increasingly important for Moscow’s communications infrastructure.

Plesetsk also serves a separate strategic military role as a launch site for Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles.

No confirmed information has yet emerged regarding damage at the cosmodrome or whether Plesetsk was the drones’ intended target.

Russia continues to deploy its “Rassvet” satellite constellation, which is intended to serve as an analogue to Starlink.

However, the project requires regular launches of carrier rockets. The first two groups of Rassvet satellites were launched into orbit using Soyuz-2.1b rockets manufactured by the Progress Rocket Space Centre in Samara.

Production of carrier rockets is one of the key constraints on the deployment of the constellation. The satellites can also be launched from the Plesetsk and Vostochny spaceports in Russia, as well as the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

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