The space facility at Yevpatoriya, a 70-meter dish, was attacked by Ukrainian drones in 2025. This facility, built during the Cold War, played a significant role in supporting Soviet lunar and planetary missions. The Soviet government did not keep its existence secret, and the CIA used publications about the facility to gather clues. The facility was divided into three sections: North, Central, and South, each with distinct purposes. The North station received signals, while the South station transmitted them. The Central station housed a large 70-meter dish, designated as RT-70, which could also function as a radio telescope. This dish was used to collect faint signals from distant spacecraft. The facility was part of the Pluton deep space tracking network, designated ADU-1000 by the Russians. The US intelligence community monitored Yevpatoriya and Simferopol, another facility on the Crimean peninsula, which was also a major target. The US built interception dishes, like STONEHOUSE, to collect signals from Soviet planetary spacecraft. In recent years, Russia has developed new optical space tracking facilities, including one in Yevpatoriya, which was attacked by Ukrainian drones. The extent of the damage is unknown, but the US intelligence community continues to monitor the facility.
