According to an assessment from Ukrainian intelligence, Russian satellites have been capturing high-resolution images of military installations and significant sites throughout the Middle East, including U.S. bases, which were subsequently targeted by Iran. This observation, reported by Reuters, noted that at least 24 surveys were conducted across 11 countries in the region from March 21 to March 31, encompassing 46 different “objects,” such as military bases, airports, and oil fields. The report indicates that shortly after these areas were surveyed, Iranian ballistic missiles and drones were launched against the military installations and command centers.<\/p>\n
The assessment also highlighted that Russian satellites were diligently monitoring the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters cited a Western military source and a regional security official who corroborated these claims with their own intelligence reports. The Iranian foreign ministry did not provide an immediate response, and the Russian defense ministry has yet to comment on the matter.<\/p>\n
Additionally, a regional security source confirmed that a Russian satellite had captured images of the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia just days before Iran’s strike on March 27, which damaged a sophisticated U.S. E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft. Following the attack, a Russian satellite conducted another pass to evaluate the extent of the damage, according to the assessment. The Ukrainian report also suggested that Russian and Iranian hackers are collaborating in cyber operations.<\/p>\n
In another development, the Ukrainian military announced it had successfully targeted Russia’s Ust-Luga oil terminal in the Leningrad region this past Tuesday. The general staff reported preliminary confirmation of damage to three storage tanks belonging to the Transneft-Baltika company via a Telegram post.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, crude oil shipments from Russia’s Sheskharis terminal at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk were halted following a significant drone assault and subsequent fire, two sources informed Reuters. This terminal, which typically exports 700,000 barrels of crude daily, serves as a vital oil outlet for Russia in the Black Sea. The suspension of operations at this terminal will further strain Russian infrastructure, which has faced continuous attacks.<\/p>\n
On the ground, Russian forces targeted two buses in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, as reported by the local governor, Oleksandr Ganzha, on Telegram. A drone struck a bus near a stop in the city center of Nikopol, resulting in four fatalities and at least 16 injuries. In a separate incident in the southern city of Kherson, a prolonged Russian assault on a residential area claimed the lives of four elderly individuals and left seven others injured, according to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin. Additional deadly strikes were also reported in the Zaporizhzhia and Sumy regions by Ukrainian officials.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Ukrainian drone strikes reportedly resulted in the deaths of five civilians, including a 12-year-old boy and his parents, in territories held by Russia and in parts of Ukraine. Russian officials provided these accounts, but Reuters was unable to independently verify their claims, while Ukraine has denied any intention to target civilians deliberately.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
According to an assessment from Ukrainian intelligence, Russian satellites have been capturing high-resolution images of military installations and significant sites throughout the Middle East, including U.S. bases, which were subsequently targeted by Iran. This observation, reported by Reuters, noted that at least 24 surveys were conducted across 11 countries in the region from March 21 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4889,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[117,577,141,567,88,571],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk-europe","category-uk-iran","category-uk-russia","category-uk-ukraine","category-uk","category-uk-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\n