Four Russian military satellites came within 13 kilometers of a radar satellite operated by a Finnish company that supplies Ukraine with battlefield imagery. ‘Legitimate targets,’ Moscow said in 2022. Four Russian military satellites altered their orbits to approach an ICEYE radar satellite that provides data to Ukraine. These maneuvers brought the satellites within approximately 13 kilometers of each other, sparking debate about whether the close proximity is intentional surveillance or a coincidence. While some experts suggest the actions are consistent with ‘inspector’ satellites designed for surveillance or even destruction, others argue that the vast number of satellites makes random proximity more likely.

• Four Russian military satellites (Kosmos-2610 to -2613) maneuvered into the orbit of ICEYE-X36, a radar satellite supplying data to Ukraine.
• The Russian satellites approached within 13-18 kilometers of ICEYE-X36, a distance considered very close in low Earth orbit.
• The behavior resembles ‘inspector’ satellites, which can be used for surveillance or potentially to disable other spacecraft.
• Some experts believe the proximity is intentional due to the satellite’s data provision to Ukraine, while others suggest it could be coincidental given the popularity of the orbit.
• Russia previously stated that quasi-civilian infrastructure in space could be a ‘legitimate target’ for counterstrikes.