Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv had struck Russia’s Dubna Satellite Communications Centre for the second time, describing it as part of a campaign to disrupt military communications and reconnaissance deep inside Russian territory.
Taking to the social media platform X, Zelenskyy said, “Today, our long-range sanctions against Russia for this war once again reached the Dubna space communications center in the Moscow region.”
He also highlighted the distance of the facility from its state border, which is more than 500 kilometres, thus showcasing Ukraine’s increasingly invasive operations deep into Russian territory.
Today, our long-range sanctions against Russia for this war once again reached the Dubna space communications center in the Moscow region. This is a special satellite communications facility used, in particular, for reconnaissance and for coordinating the activity of Russia’s… pic.twitter.com/HMtNwSgOvv
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 30, 2026
What is the Dubna Communications Centre?
The Dubna Satellite Communications Centre (SCC) is a branch of the Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSSC). It has been operating since 1980 and is Russia’s largest ground station facility that links terrestrial networks with satellites in orbit.
Originally commissioned in 1980 by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) as a broadcasting hub for the Moscow Olympics, it was later used for hosting hotlines between the Kremlin, Washington, and European capitals.
The facility is primarily used for handling radio, television, and telecommunications across several time zones. Zelenskyy, while posting about the second strike on the centre, said, “This is a special satellite communications facility used, in particular, for reconnaissance and for coordinating the activity of Russia’s occupation contingent in Ukraine.”
Ukraine–Russia war continues
Kyiv is intensifying its campaign against Moscow’s military and energy infrastructure, with the Dubna and Vladimir space communication centres also hit in a strike by Ukrainian military forces last week.
“Recently, our Defense Forces of Ukraine already reached four such Russian centers, not only in the Moscow region but also in the Vladimir region. Step by step, we are implementing our plan of long-range sanctions and making it as difficult as possible for the aggressor state to carry out its invasion operations against Ukraine and the occupation of our territories. Relevant actions are also being prepared against other similar enemy facilities,” Zelenskyy said while thanking the military for Monday’s drone strike on the communications centre in a post on X.
Story continues below this ad
On June 26, Russia’s Defence Ministry said that it had intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones in an overnight attack across 12 regions, Russian-held Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas in one of Ukraine’s largest drone attacks.
Last week, a 40-day campaign was approved by the Ukrainian president to “influence” Russia into ending its war against Ukraine, which has been going on for four and a half years now.
(This story was written by Sneha Sharma, an intern at The Indian Express)
