Russian satellites and a Finnish spacecraft that supplies imagery to Ukraine’s Armed Forces came dangerously close in orbit. Is this a new episode of star wars? Or just a coincidence?

Russian satellites and a Finnish spacecraft that supplies imagery to Ukraine’s Armed Forces came dangerously close in orbit. Is this a new episode of star wars? Or just a coincidence?

In May, reports appeared in the press that four Russian military satellites from the Kosmos series had begun “hunting” one of the satellites operated by the Finnish-American company ICEYE. That spacecraft, ICEYE-X36, is designed for radar imaging of Earth and can capture detailed images even when the surface is hidden by clouds. Its data is used by Ukrainian and European militaries.

What is known about these satellites? Can this be described as deliberate surveillance by the Russian spacecraft? And what arguments are there against that version? We break it down together with experts.

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Echoes of the Russian-Ukrainian war in space: it appears Russian satellites are pursuing a Finnish spacecraft that supplies imagery to Ukraine’s Armed Forces

Last month, four Russian military satellites — Kosmos-2610, Kosmos-2611, Kosmos-2612, and Kosmos-2613 — changed their orbit and moved closer to the radar satellite ICEYE-X36, which has been supplying data to the Ukrainian army since 2022. This was reported on May 22…