Russian Military Satellite Steers Toward NATO Orbiter Supporting Ukraine

US news and media website Axios reported on Saturday that LeoLabs, a company that monitors potential threats in space, had identified a highly unusual and somewhat concerning maneuver carried out by Russia’s Cosmos 2612 satellite on Friday. The company’s analysis points to a possible deliberate attempt to interfere with US space-based assets, specifically the Finnish ICEYE X36 satellite which supplies imagery to Ukraine and Western governments and is registered at ICEYE’s US branch.

The maneuver saw the Russian satellite reduce the separation to the NATO nation’s orbiter from about 320 kilometers (200 miles) to around five kilometers (three miles) in less than 24 hours. This rapid change in a satellite’s orbit is particularly noteworthy as it uses much of its limited volume of onboard propellant.

Even more worrying, according to unnamed US officials cited by Axios, is that bringing the Russian satellite so close is unacceptable, threatening, and especially alarming given that the objects are moving at around 17,000 mph (27,000 kph) so any error could result in a disastrous collision.

While the move could have an “innocent” explanation, Western analysts consider it more likely that it could involve surveillance or interference of the ICEYE’s output or even in preparation of some form of attack. A direct collision or simple release of an object could severely damage or destroy it. Whilst there is no evidence yet that Russia has malicious intent, the incident highlights the potential vulnerability of commercial space infrastructure whether or not it directly supports military operations.

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The US admits to deploying space weapons

According to a BBC report, US Secretary of the Air Force, Troy Meink, announced at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference on Monday, Sept. 14 that the US had deployed an unidentified space weapon in order to protect it from “evolving threats,” without giving details on the type or capability of the weapon or when it was placed in orbit.

The report cites Dr Bleddyn Bowen, from the UK’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), suggesting the US weapon was most likely to have been “some kind of electronic warfare or radio jamming platform” or, less likely, “a kinetic kill vehicle” that would fire a projectile into a satellite to destroy it.”

The US justified its actions by suggesting that Russia and China were already developing programs that would allow it to attack and disrupt Washington’s satellites in a future war.

Russia accuses NATO of using satellites to support Ukraine

On Feb. 1, 2023, the Russian government claimed that NATO’s entire network of satellites was working to support Ukraine’s war effort. In July 2025 the Kremlin complained to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio Regulations Board (RRB) that European nations were using navigation and broadcast satellites for both civil and military purposes to support Ukraine, warning that as a result these were considered to be legitimate targets for Russian countermeasures.

Axios said experts had identified in May this year several instances of Russian satellites “executing a series of concerning maneuvers” around the Finnish craft, which the US military repeatedly warned that Russia was developing anti-satellite weapons.

They suggested that Moscow would seek to disrupt the satellite’s ability to provide high-quality imagery of Russian sites during the war in Ukraine – which could include aggressive space-based actions.