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German Defense Minister Warns of Russian Satellites Shadowing Bundeswehr Assets
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![Photo of Roman Kohanets]( "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
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German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that two Russian Luch/Olymp satellites are shadowing two Intelsat satellites used, among others, by the Bundeswehr. Speaking at a space conference in Berlin, he warned of escalating hostile behavior in orbit, according to Sky News on September 25.
“Russia and China have expanded their capabilities for warfare in space rapidly over the past years: they can disrupt satellite operations, blind satellites, manipulate or kinetically destroy them,” he said.
Pistorius added that the German military has already been targeted by jamming and urged allies to prepare deterrence measures in orbit.
“39 Chinese and Russian reconnaissance satellites are flying over us… so be careful what you say,” he said, underscoring the immediacy of space-based surveillance.
The minister identified the Russian satellites as Luch/Olymp units that Western operators have previously accused of “loitering” near commercial and government platforms—behavior that can enable signal interception or other interference.
Observers have documented close approaches and “unfriendly” maneuvers by the Luch/Olymp series, including a sudden approach in 2024 reported by French startup Aldoria and patterns flagged earlier by Slingshot Aerospace.
Earlier, it was reported that Russia formally told international regulators it would treat European satellites aiding Ukraine as legitimate targets, escalating its campaign of GPS and satellite-signal jamming.
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