Attack in Crimea: Russian radio telescope RT-70 destroyed

New attack in Crimea deals a serious blow to Russian space infrastructure

A unique Russian radio telescope, used to control satellites of the GLONASS system, was destroyed in a drone attack by the Ukrainian GUR unit "The Ghosts", it became clear from a video published on August 31. The footage shows a precise strike on a key facility in the area of annexed Crimea, causing serious damage to Moscow's military and technological potential.

The destroyed facility is the giant RT-70 radio telescope

The destroyed facility is the giant RT-70 radio telescope, also known as P-2500, located near Yevpatoria. This monumental structure, with its 70-meter parabolic antenna and a weight of about 5000 tons, is a true engineering marvel from the Soviet era, originally designed for interplanetary communications with Venus and Mars. However, after the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, it was included in the 40th Command and Measurement Complex of the Russian Aerospace Forces (military unit 81415) and was re-equipped for the needs of the Russian satellite system GLONASS.

The destruction of the RT-70 represents a critical loss for Russia's military infrastructure. The telescope played a key role in managing satellite orbits and contributed to increasing the accuracy of the GLONASS system by up to 30%, according to official data. Already in 2017, the then commander of the complex, Colonel Vinokurov, boasted to Russian media that since December 2014, a "stable information and computing system for correcting GLONASS program-time tasks" had been put into operation. Confirmation of its active role also came in 2021, when the new head, Oleg Bykov, stated that the facility "is being modernized" and "is involved in the management of the orbital grouping of the RF".

The video of the attack shows the drone hitting the very heart of the system - the radio receiver device "Goliath". This module, with a power of up to 200 kW, contains unique and non-serial components, such as powerful final amplifiers and klystrons. Only two such telescopes were produced in Soviet times - in Yevpatoria and near Ussuriysk, with a third in Uzbekistan remaining unfinished. Even the repair of the RT-70 was extremely complex, as evidenced by the production of a new set of klystrons in 2011 by Moscow's "NPP Toriy" based on old drawings. This proves the uniqueness and exceptional value of the destroyed system.

While the destruction of mass-produced systems such as the S-400's radar represents a significant but recoverable loss, the attack on the RT-70 has much longer-term consequences. The loss of this telescope is a direct and painful blow to Russia's ability to manage its satellite network, causing both financial and technological damage.

This attack is not an isolated case. It fits into a series of actions aimed at Russian space components in the region. Almost exactly a year ago, another strike was carried out on the same facility, and in May 2024, a deep space communication point near Alushta with a TNA-200 antenna was hit with four ATACMS missiles. These coordinated strikes highlight the vulnerability of Russia's space infrastructure and demonstrate an escalating dynamic of the conflict in the field of high-tech military systems.