Putin will be able to monitor Russia from space in real-time
Russian President Vladimir Putin will be able to use the "Gosudaryevo Oko" (Sovereign’s Eye) space monitoring system to see in real-time “what is really going on with construction sites, facilities, people, sowing and roads” in the provincial regions, announced Dmitry Rogozin, director of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, which is developing the system.
“The president will have complete access to this system. I think that when contacting the regional governments, this data can be used when the regions are giving reports, but the president has the ability to instantly see everything in real-time. What is really going on with construction sites, facilities, people, sowing, roads and much, much more,” Interfax cites Rogozin as saying.
The head of Roscosmos referred to the Sovereign’s Eye system as “good sight, which penetrates all the government infrastructure”. The cabinet of ministers should also have access to the systems.
In January, Rogozin announced that Roscosmos would be realizing the Sovereign’s Eye project. At the time, he explained that the system would make it possible to see the dynamic changes of any processes on earth through satellite images. He noted that such a system would also be of interest to the Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM). “For example, fires – in the interests of EMERCOM – through thick smoke we can bring firefighting aircraft to an area of 25 square meters. So, go find the epicenter of the fire, everything can be seen from space,” he said. It will also be possible to monitor the condition of arable lands using the system.
In May, Roscosmos spokesperson Vladimir Ustimenko said that Sovereign’s Eye is in the initial stage of implementation, and has not yet been assigned to a specific department.