US government alerted
“This behavior corresponds to the use of weapons in space”
October 22, 2026 – 7:12 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
A Russian military satellite is tracking a satellite that provides Ukraine with images. Now the US government is also expressing alarm.
Space experts have been pursuing a real chase in near-Earth orbit for a good two weeks: There the Russian spy satellite “Kosmos 2612” is getting closer and closer to the satellite “Iceye-X36” from the Finnish-American company Iceye. This has been supplying them since 2022 Ukraine with military-critical reconnaissance data from the earth’s surface. Experts therefore fear an aggressive intention behind the uninvited approach. Now the US government is also taking a clear stance on the case.
Thomas G. DiNanno, US State Department Undersecretary of State for Disarmament Affairs, told the First Committee of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday (local time): “Russia’s ‘Kosmos 2612’ military satellite has exhibited threatening behavior by approaching dangerously close to a civilian satellite. This behavior is consistent with the use of weapons in space,” DiNanno continued. “This is a violation of long-established safety standards in low Earth orbit. The USA will continue to protect their security and vital national interests, including in space.”
- News blog about the war in Ukraine: All developments at a glance
- Deceptive maneuvers: Moscow’s supposed victories have a catch
DiNanno’s clear words show that the US government is also taking the space process seriously. The first space experts reported on the unusual approach in space on Saturday evening. At that time it was said that “Kosmos 2612” had approached “Iceye-X36” to within a few kilometers. According to the latest reports, there is now only about 26 meters between the two flying objects, which are racing around the earth at an altitude of almost 550 kilometers at almost 28,000 kilometers per hour.
That’s why Russia is interested in the Iceye-X36 satellite
At this distance, one satellite can spy on another, damage it with lasers or microwaves, or even destroy it through the use of projectiles or a kamikaze action. This has never happened so far. The destruction of a satellite by collision would also create a large cloud of debris that could hit other flying objects in orbit, leading to a devastating chain reaction. What exactly Russia What he wants to achieve with his maneuver in space is unclear. The Kremlin has not yet commented on the matter. However, Moscow’s hostile interest in “Iceye-X36” seems obvious.
The satellite belongs to the Finnish company Iceye and is operated by its US branch – this also explains the US government’s interference. Iceye has been providing the Ukrainian government with high-resolution radar images of the earth’s surface since 2022a war-important skill for the invaded country. It is unclear whether “Iceye-X36” also creates satellite images for Ukraine. According to its own information, the company currently has 84 satellites of this type in orbit for various customers. Defense experts at the CSIS think tank see the uninvited approach in space in the context of Russia’s “hybrid warfare.”
“Russia appears determined to expand its hostile activities in space in order to test the West’s reaction,” the CSIS experts wrote last week with a view to the Russian maneuvers in space. “The United States and Europe should consider and clearly communicate a response to a possible act of war in space,” it continues. Whether Russia will act on the announcement of the US representative U.N. Whether further aggression in space can now be deterred remains to be seen.
