Ukraine tested new weapons against Russian missiles that reach space, – The Guardian

Ukraine has intensified efforts to gain its own access to space systems, reduce dependence on the American Starlink system, and develop new means to counter such missiles as the 'Oreshnik.' This is reported by The Guardian.

As the head of the subcommittee on national security issues of the Verkhovna Rada committee on national security, defense, and intelligence, Fedir Venislavsky, told the publication, Ukraine wants to have a "sovereign" presence in space and has already taken the first step in this direction thanks to the Obria Nano satellite.

According to journalists, Ukraine has conducted at least three tests of target interception systems in near-space, while trying to put its own sovereign satellites into orbit. In this way, it joins an increasing number of countries that seek to establish a foothold in space.

It is noted that this became a reality last month when Ukraine and the Danish company GomSpace announced the successful launch of the Obria Nano satellite — the first test spacecraft for a future independent Ukrainian communications network. Reports indicate that it will consist of roughly 245 satellites.

"Since the beginning of the war, the space sphere has been of crucial importance for Ukrainian forces. The latest events have only confirmed this: whether it was done at the initiative of the U.S. government (Starlink restrictions, - ed.), or by SpaceX, we have seen how a decline in the quality of communications endangered the Ukrainian military's command and control systems. Now we need to take this work to a new level. Not least because the enemy already threatens Ukrainian territory from outer space using the 'Oreshnik' missiles. We cannot underestimate this risk," said Veni­sla­vskyi.

Since Russian launch sites are beyond the reach of Ukraine's most long-range missiles, Ukraine has conducted three tests of systems to destroy targets outside the atmosphere. They are intended to intercept launches in near-space, including launches of weapons mounted on very high-altitude aircraft.

"This is a priority task. We have already demonstrated launches of near-space systems and are working to determine whether we can establish their serial production," Veni­sla­vskyi noted.

However he admitted that given the enormous needs of the war, funding will become a serious problem.

The war is spreading into space

The publication reminded that in August, with Flamingo missiles, Ukraine struck the Russian missile and space center Progress in Samara — the manufacturer of Russian missiles Soyuz-2. They hit two buildings, including the facility known as Building 106A — the so-called clean room where motherboards for Soyuz launch systems were assembled.

As journalists note, this attack demonstrated that the war is spreading to new domains, including space.

In addition, 2026 year Ukraine attacked other Roscosmos facilities, including a large complex in Korolyov north of Moscow, as well as the radar telescope built by Ukraine that Russia captured in Crimea.

"We are already living in a space war".

According to experts, the spread of Russia's war with Ukraine into space is just the latest sign of rapid militarization of the domain, whose rules of use are still unclear, outdated, and hard to control.

The publication recalled that in September, U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Mankin first acknowledged that Washington has deployed "means of space control in orbit." This came amid reports that Russia regularly brought its satellites close to U.S. and other countries' spacecraft.

A few weeks later, Russia's satellite Cosmos-2612 was observed performing aggressive maneuvers near a commercial radar satellite from Finnish company Iceye, which provides Ukrainian forces with three‑dimensional terrain images. Experts described such actions as intentional stalking.

"People talked about [space war] as a future thing. But we are already living in this future," says Elena Grossfeld, a space and security expert at the Swedish Defence University.

In her view, space has become a necessary condition for military success for Russia. Moscow views offensive operations in this domain as a prerequisite for a broader conflict in a new reality where war is inseparable from satellite reconnaissance and target guidance.

"This began even before the war in Ukraine. In 2021 year, then-deputy commander of the U.S. Space Forces General David Thompson stated that the United States daily records attacks [by Russia and China] on American satellites. They are not necessarily kinetic (i.e., physical attacks), but now, during the war, when everyone depends on space for reconnaissance and communications, this problem has come into focus," she stressed.

Russia conducts "harassment" in space

The expert noted that Russia's intentions during the recent "harassment" of the Iceye satellite remain unclear. One possible objective was to force it to spend fuel on changing its trajectory, thereby shortening its operational life.

This is not the only tactic Russia employs. It has also used signal jamming, laser dazzling of satellites, and placed spy satellites, so‑called inspectors, near foreign spacecraft.

According to experts, the situation in space is complicated by the fact that in recent years international treaties regulating space activity and the placement of weapons there have ceased to reflect reality.

More and more countries are working in space

Victoria Samson, head of the Space Security and Stability program at the Safe World Foundation, drew attention to the rapid growth in the number of countries working in space. At the same time, commercial activity by companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin is expanding.

However, recent actions by Musk regarding Ukraine, specifically restrictions on Starlink data transmission speeds, forced a rapid reassessment of the approach to using commercial space services. After all, their operation can be unreliable, and leadership decisions sometimes motivated by ideological beliefs.

"The main change over the last decade has been the shift to commercial space activity, and this has become a problem in the current conflict [in Ukraine]," Sampson noted.

She added that in the face of escalating tensions the United States has become more open about its actions [regarding placing weapons in space], while Russia and China are working on many similar developments.

"Moreover, there is a problem of using space in wartime conditions. We have already seen Russia jamming GPS signals, causing disruptions to air travel over the Baltic countries. But this issue became particularly evident due to the Starlink situation and the temporary cessation of the United States providing Ukrainian military with satellite reconnaissance information [that warned] of approaching ballistic missiles," the expert said.

According to Samson, one of the consequences of Musk and the Trump administration's unreliability has been that countries began seeking alternatives.

"Just as the Russians with their network [«Rassvet»], now everyone wants to have their own version of Starlink, including Europeans," she noted.

Ukraine seeks an alternative to Starlink

As U.NIAN reported, after the Starlink incident, Ukraine and the EU are seeking independent satellite communications. In particular, Finnish companies ICEYE and Nokia announced a deal with Ukraine's Ministry of Defense to study the possibilities of a "sovereign satellite communication." According to Axios, "the first satellites of this duo are planned to be launched in 2028 year."

At the start of October, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine is already working on its own Starlink analogue. "There are developments. We are working on a similar Starlink," the president told journalists, without providing details.