Security officials in Europe have raised the alarm after two Russian spacecraft are suspected of eavesdropping on the communications of at least 12 critical European satellites, potentially exposing sensitive data and raising fears of intrusion or sabotage in space. The information was reported by the Financial Times, citing Western intelligence sources. According to the same sources, the activities of the two Russian orbiting vehicles, known as Luch-1 and Luch-2, have intensified over the past three years, in a period of high tensions between Russia and the West following the invasion of Ukraine. Western military and civilian authorities have monitored repeated and suspicious maneuvers of these satellites near European space infrastructure.
The two Russian vehicles came dangerously close to some of Europe's most important geostationary satellites, which are located about 35 kilometers above Earth and are used for civil, government and partly military communications in Europe, the United Kingdom, Africa and the Middle East. Orbital data and observations from ground-based telescopes show that the Russian satellites have been close to them for weeks or months. Since its launch in 2023, Luch-2 has come close to at least 17 European satellites.
The head of the German armed forces’ space command, Lieutenant General Michael Traut, told the Financial Times that the two Russian satellites are suspected of carrying out signals intelligence (SIGINT) operations, positioning themselves very close to Western satellites to intercept their transmissions. According to a senior European intelligence official, the Luch vehicles are designed to stay within the narrow range of signals transmitted from ground stations to the satellites. The main concern is that many European satellites, built years ago, still transmit command data without advanced encryption. This, experts say, makes them vulnerable to future interceptions and interference, including orbit manipulation or deactivation.
Western officials see this activity as part of a broader strategy of Russian “hybrid warfare”, which also includes infrastructure sabotage, such as damaging undersea internet and energy cables. The fear is that space is becoming a new front in geopolitical confrontation. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has previously warned that “satellite networks are the Achilles heel of modern societies”, stressing that any attack on them could paralyze entire countries. He has described Russian activities as a serious threat to European security, especially in space. According to analysts, even if Russian satellites do not have the direct ability to destroy targets, the information gathered could allow Moscow to understand the vulnerabilities of Western systems and coordinate future cyber or electronic attacks from the ground or orbit.
