Russian space agency Roscosmos shares images of NATO summit location

Russia accused Ukraine of receiving information from private Western satellite companies through NATO.

 A police officer patrols at the Madrid Fair before a NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, June 27, 2022. (photo credit: NACHO DOCE/REUTERS)
A police officer patrols at the Madrid Fair before a NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, June 27, 2022.
(photo credit: NACHO DOCE/REUTERS)

Russian space agency Roscosmos shared satellite images of the building in the Spanish capital of Madrid where the NATO summit is taking place, identifying it as a "decision-making center" that "supports Ukrainian nationalists," Pravda reported Tuesday.

Roscosmos further shared coordinates of other "decision-making centers" in the US, France, UK and Germany, including the Pentagon.

This comes as the NATO summit, a three-day meeting of leaders of 30 NATO member states and allied nations, takes place in Madrid, and are expected to label Russia a major threat and decide on aid to Ukraine.

Satellites: Eyes in the sky on both sides?

But Ukraine is also being accused of benefiting from satellites. 

According to Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin, private Western satellite firms are sending information for NATO and, consequently, to Ukraine, RIA reported.

 A satellite image shows an overview of Snake Island and Russian Ropucha ship, March 13, 2022.  (credit: Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS)
A satellite image shows an overview of Snake Island and Russian Ropucha ship, March 13, 2022. (credit: Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS)

In an interview with RIA, Rogozin specifically called out Maxar for doing this and also alleged the formation of a single data cloud that NATO is supposedly using to send information to the Ukrainian military.

This also follows allegations made by Russia that privately US satellites took pictures of Snake Island in the Black Sea prior to Ukraine launching a series of strikes on the island.