Russian unofficial sources reported a successful Ukrainian drone attack on military unit No. 33443, near the village of Moskovskoye in Izobilnensky district of Stavropol region, over 450 km from the current front line.
Local authorities confirmed the drone attack, stating that two drones “fell” and that “infrastructure was not damaged”, although russia often claims that UAVs were neutralized. Astra (russian Telegram channel), citing its sources, reported that one of the drones exploded, injuring a serviceman. Astra also identified the military unit number and noted that it belongs to the special-purpose formations of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the russian federation, known by its former name, the GRU.
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The 33443 military unit is notable for its distinctive array of about two dozen parabolic antennas. This unit is not merely a radio-technical reconnaissance unit but is part of russian Zvezda space reconnaissance system.
Established in the early 1970s to intercept signals from spacecraft, the system included 11 stations in the USSR and 4 abroad in Cuba, Vietnam, Burma and Mongolia. Due to its secrecy, the exact capabilities of the system were not disclosed, even in the 1990s. Its general purpose was to monitor space communication systems, analyze their operation and potentially counteract them.
The 33443 (formerly 12151) unit was one of the first and few to remain operational after the USSR’s collapse, as half of all similar space reconnaissance points were located in the union republics. Under Putin’s administration, this military unit was significantly modernized, with the number of antennas and its territory doubling. The equipment has continually expanded, as evidenced by satellite images.
There are no recent satellite images of the 33443 unit to assess the strike’s impact. However, it is evident that Ukraine is deliberately targeting russia’s space capabilities.
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