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Russia’s Most Aggressive Satellite Threat Yet? Expert Warns of Possible Attack Rehearsal
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A Russian military satellite approached a Finnish-operated imaging satellite in low Earth orbit in what a US specialist suspects was an attack rehearsal, Reuters reported on November 5.
Russia’s Cosmos 2612 came within approximately one kilometer of ICEYE’s X36 satellite in mid-October, with some analysts estimating the distance at just a few hundred meters. ICEYE supplies radar imagery to Western governments and militaries, including Ukraine.
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Greg Gillinger, a senior analyst at US-based Integrity ISR and former US Air Force intelligence officer, described the maneuver as one of Russia’s most aggressive approaches to another country’s satellites.
The encounter "looks like an attack rehearsal," Gillinger told Reuters, suggesting Russia may have been testing its ability to physically attack another spacecraft.
Cosmos 2612 belongs to a group of six Russian military satellites launched in April. In May, four approached X36, prompting ICEYE to reposition its spacecraft.
Two other Russian satellites are now moving toward the orbital path of another ICEYE satellite, X37, according to US space-tracking company COMSPOC.
German space commander Major General Michael Traut cautioned that close approaches could serve several purposes, including inspection, surveillance, interference, or disabling satellites. Orbital tracking alone cannot establish Russia’s intentions.
ICEYE confirmed that X36 remains operational. Russia’s Defense Ministry did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
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The mid-October encounter capped months of Russian activity around ICEYE's spacecraft, which have supplied imagery to Ukraine since 2022, including from a satellite purchased through crowdfunding.
One of the Russian satellites launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome aboard a Soyuz-2.1b rocket passed within about 2.5 kilometers of X36 on May 26. Cosmos 2612's October 16 maneuver, which left it stationkeeping within roughly 5 kilometers of X36, appeared to be the first rendezvous of two active low Earth orbit satellites without one owner's approval.
In March 2026, Russia's Luch-2 military satellite was reportedly shadowing European communications satellites, including Intelsat-39, which is also used by Germany's Bundeswehr, raising concerns about intercepted communications and interference.
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