Soviet military satellites: These are usually disguised under the generic name Cosmos, which also applies to many of the other launches. The Oko satellite constellation (Russian for “eye,” about a hundred launched since the early 1970s) monitors missile launches as an early-warning system. It was joined by the Prognoz satellites in 1981. Electronic intelligence was collected by the Tselina satellites from 1967 onwards, launched first with Proton and then with Zenit. They were later replaced by the Liana satellites. Their counterparts for maritime espionage are the EORSATs. Military communications are maintained with the Strela, Gonetz, and Potok constellations. Then, with the end of the Cold War, tensions with the Americans eased, and so did the number of satellites, reaching a minimum of three spy satellites for photographic reconnaissance in 2001.
