Russian tech giant Yandex puts fake forest over satellite image of missile position near St. Petersburg
The Russian tech corporation Yandex recently edited a satellite image of a Russian missile position outside the town of Kronstadt, near St. Petersburg, replacing the entire site with an image of forest, according to a report by Finnish public broadcaster Yle . The image shows visible editing seams and repeated patches of vegetation. The military site remains visible on satellite maps from Western…
Yandex, a prominent Russian technology firm, altered a satellite image of a missile position close to St. Petersburg, covering the site with a forest scene, according to Finnish news outlet Yle. The image reveals noticeable editing lines and patches of vegetation. The military installation remains detectable on satellite maps from Western providers.
Yandex had historically concealed military and sensitive locations by blurring specific areas, but in this instance, the editors chose to obscure the facility's presence entirely by overlaying it with natural landscape. The corporation declined to answer Yle's inquiries about the source of the edited image. The site was once home to anti-ship missile systems, radar, and signal intelligence equipment, as identified by Marko Eklund, a former Finnish military intelligence officer.
Eklund noted that the retouching serves no purpose militarily, as Ukraine and Western intelligence agencies utilize their own satellite imagery. He believes the editing is likely due to an administrative prohibition on publishing certain site images. Although Western mapping services also censor military installations, fixed positions remain visible in images from other satellite operators.
In 2024, a Russian court mandated Yandex to conceal the Ryazan oil refinery in satellite images following Ukrainian drone attacks. An investigation by Northern European media, including Swedish public broadcaster SVT, identified 119 blurred sites in western Russia, encompassing military bases, nuclear power plants, and even President Vladimir Putin's residence at Valdai.
Kronstadt continues to be a crucial base for Russia's Baltic Fleet. In June, Ukrainian drones attacked the missile corvette Boikiy, docked in Kronstadt, resulting in substantial damage to the ship's radar systems and electronic warfare equipment.
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