Ukrainian drones reach Russia's Plesetsk cosmodrome for first time

Ukrainian drones may have successfully reached Russia's Arkhangelsk Oblast, the region housing the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, for the first time on August 22, according to Russian monitoring sources. This development prompted Russia to implement temporary flight restrictions, known as the "Carpet" plan, in the vicinity of the cosmodrome.

Local residents corroborated these reports by sharing videos of the drones in the area. The Plesetsk Cosmodrome serves as Russia's primary northern military spaceport, utilized for satellite launches, including those belonging to the Rassvet series, and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Just a day prior to this incident, Russia announced a temporary closure of several maritime areas near the Arkhangelsk region on August 26-27 due to scheduled missile launches, without specifying the missile type, launch site, or targets.

Earlier, on July 20, the Russian company Bureau 1440 announced the successful launch of a second group of communications satellites for its Rassvet project, positioning Russia as a rival to Starlink. The first satellites of this constellation were launched in March, with plans to launch hundreds more by the end of 2027. Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to the Ukrainian president on defense technology development, emphasized that while improved battlefield communications for Russian forces represent a significant risk, the greatest concern is Ukraine's inability to utilize Starlink for online drone control over Russian territory, given the system's limited functionality in that region.