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Ukraine Says China Is Sharing Satellite Data With Russia to Target Strikes on Civilians
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A senior Ukrainian intelligence official has alleged that China is providing Russia with satellite reconnaissance data to assist in targeting missile strikes within Ukraine.
Oleh Alexandrov of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Agency told Reuters that there is “evidence of a high level of cooperation between Russia and China in conducting satellite reconnaissance of the territory of Ukraine in order to identify … strategic objects for targeting.” He added that some of the targeted sites “may belong to foreign investors.”
Ukrainian officials point to a missile strike in August on a US-owned appliance factory in the western Zakarpattia region—resulting in 15 injuries—as suggestive of the pattern they warn about. Meanwhile, Beijing has historically claimed neutrality in the war—and it did not provide immediate public confirmation of the new claims.
In response to the allegation, the Kremlin dismissed it, saying Russia has sufficient independent space and intelligence capabilities to meet its operational requirements.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “We have our own capabilities, including space capabilities, to accomplish all the tasks the special military operation poses.”
Some open-source satellite tracking data appear to add complexity to the question. Ukrainian media monitoring services reported that Chinese reconnaissance satellites—specifically several from the Yaogan series—flew over western Ukrainian regions during heightened Russian missile and drone attacks on the night of October 4–5.
These satellites are officially declared by China to serve civilian or scientific missions (e.g. land resources, disaster monitoring), though many analysts believe they have dual-use or military reconnaissance functions.
This development marks a potentially significant escalation in the Russia-China relationship by bringing space and intelligence support more squarely into Ukraine’s narrative of external intervention in the war.
Earlier, it was reported that China has supplied Russia with satellite reconnaissance data used to guide missile strikes in Ukraine, including on facilities owned by foreign investors.
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