Ukrainian forces lost access to Maxar satellite imagery via the United States on Thursday, a Ukrainian military source told ABC News, as Russia continued to carry out attacks on the country.
Ukrainian access to U.S. government-purchased commercial satellite imagery, which includes Maxar, was suspended, a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) spokesperson told ABC News.
The development came after the U.S. paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
“In accordance with the Administration’s directive on support to Ukraine, NGA has temporarily suspended access to the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery system, or GEGD, which is the primary portal for access to U.S. government-purchased commercial imagery,” an NGA spokesperson said in a statement on Friday.
Starlink remains operational, and Ukraine continues to use the company’s satellite systems, a U.S. official told ABC News.
If Starlink is turned off, “all of Ukraine will scream about it,” a Ukrainian military source said.
Defensive intelligence is still being shared with Ukraine amid the intelligence pause, a U.S. official said Friday.
“Intelligence support for offensive operations have been scaled back as part of the larger reassessment of U.S. involvement, but defensive intelligence sharing continues,” the U.S. official said. “This isn’t a giveaway program — we will only provide support that advances U.S. strategic interests and pushes Ukraine toward serious peace talks.”
The pause followed last week’s explosive Oval Office meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump. White House officials have suggested the freeze may be lifted if Ukraine takes concrete steps towards a peace deal with Russia to end Moscow’s 3-year-old invasion.
Zelenskyy said there can be “no pause” in pressure on Russia earlier this week, just the day after the U.S. confirmed it had stopped sharing intelligence with Kyiv.
Russia has dramatically increased the number of drones it can launch every night against Ukrainian cities in recent months.
In one of the largest air attacks of the war to date, Russia carried out a massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight, targeting energy and gas infrastructure in various regions, Ukrainian officials said Friday morning.
A total of 261 missiles and drones were launched by Russia, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, which said it used Mirage-2000 fighter jets for the first time alongside F-16s to repel the attack.
Following the attack, Trump on Friday threatened Russia with sanctions and tariffs until it negotiated a ceasefire and peace deal
Trump’s decision to pause U.S. military aid and intelligence sharing has raised concerns that Ukraine’s air defenses will become less effective in the days, weeks and months to come.
It now appears likely that Russia will try to increase these attacks at a critical time as the end of U.S. intelligence sharing and supplies of anti-aircraft missiles could weaken Ukraine’s ability to defend against them.
Russian missiles and drone attacks are a nightly occurrence in Ukraine. The country has become largely reliant on Western anti-air weapons to defeat incoming projectiles.
U.S. intelligence sharing with Ukraine had allowed Kyiv to give warnings to targeted areas ahead of Russian drone and missile strikes, tracking Russian aircraft taking off, drones being launched and missiles being fired.
A Ukrainian intelligence official told ABC News on Wednesday that the intelligence sharing pause included a halt in sharing U.S. satellite imagery through the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Trump has repeatedly — and falsely — blamed Ukraine for starting the war with Russia while seeking to undermine Zelenskyy’s legitimacy as president. The White House is pushing Kyiv to accept a deal to end the fighting and to sign an agreement giving the U.S. access to Ukrainian mineral resources.