Defence Minister Boris Pistorius reveals Moscow’s Luch Olymp satellites tracking Intelsat systems as space emerges as new battleground in escalating East-West tensions
Germany’s defence minister has issued a stark warning that Russian satellites are actively shadowing critical communications satellites used by German forces and NATO allies, marking a dangerous escalation in space-based military threats from Moscow and Beijing.
Boris Pistorius told a space conference in Berlin on Thursday that two Russian Luch Olymp satellites have been tracking Intelsat satellites, which provide essential military communications for German forces and other NATO members. The revelation comes as Western defence officials grow increasingly alarmed about adversaries’ rapidly expanding capabilities to wage warfare in orbit.
Russia and China have expanded their capabilities for warfare in space rapidly over the past years,” Pistorius warned delegates. “They can disrupt satellite operations, blind satellites, manipulate or kinetically destroy them.”
New Era of Space Warfare
The German defence chief’s disclosure marks the latest evidence of space emerging as a critical domain for potential military conflict. The warning follows months of concerning developments, including Russian satellites practising “attack and defend tactics” in low Earth orbit and Chinese spacecraft conducting dogfighting-style manoeuvres designed to track and potentially disable Western space assets.
Pistorius specifically identified Russia’s use of two Luch Olymp satellites to monitor Intelsat communications systems. These satellites, originally designed for Russia’s own communications needs, have been repurposed for intelligence gathering and potentially offensive operations. The Intelsat constellation provides crucial satellite communications bandwidth for military operations worldwide, including support for NATO’s maritime operations and ground forces.
The defence minister’s comments underscore the vulnerability of Western military operations, which rely heavily on space-based assets for everything from navigation and communications to intelligence gathering and missile warning systems. Germany plans to invest €35 billion in space projects by 2030, with much of the funding directed towards hardening military space systems against disruptions and attacks.
Moscow’s Escalating Space Provocations
Russia’s space activities have grown increasingly aggressive since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Western intelligence officials report that Russian forces have been testing various mechanisms to disrupt satellite communications, with Ukrainian military units experiencing Starlink outages attributed to Moscow’s electronic warfare systems.
The Secure World Foundation’s latest report identifies two key Russian systems threatening Western satellites. The Tobol system, originally designed to protect Russian satellites from jamming, has been repurposed to disrupt satellite communications and GPS navigation. At least seven Tobol complexes are distributed across Russian territory, with three installations specifically targeting satellite signals over Eastern Ukraine.
More concerning is Russia’s newer Kalinka system, dubbed the “Starlink Killer” by analysts. This electronic warfare platform can reportedly detect and disrupt signals to and from commercial satellites, specifically targeting military communications and drone operations. The system’s alleged ability to detect terminals connected to Starshield, the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink, has particularly alarmed Western defence planners.
US military officials believe Russia’s ultimate goal remains deploying a nuclear weapon in space. Such a device would use a massive electromagnetic pulse to potentially knock out large swathes of commercial and government satellites, creating what experts describe as an indiscriminate attack affecting all nations’ space assets.
China’s Rapid Military Space Expansion
Whilst Russia poses the most immediate threat, China’s long-term space ambitions present equally serious challenges for NATO. Beijing has increased its satellite fleet from approximately 40 satellites a decade ago to more than 1,060 today, second only to the United States.
In March, US Space Force officials revealed that Chinese satellites had practised “dogfighting” manoeuvres in low Earth orbit. The exercises involved three experimental satellites and two spacecraft operating in concert, practising synchronized deployments within close proximity designed to replicate tracking and disabling US space assets during a potential military crisis.
China created an independent Aerospace Force in April 2024, reporting directly to the Central Military Commission. A 2022 study sponsored by the People’s Liberation Army explicitly recommended developing counterspace capabilities to target commercial satellite constellations like Starlink in the event of armed conflict with the United States.
“Chinese military doctrine places heavy emphasis on gaining the initiative at the outset of conflict,” notes the Secure World Foundation report. “This would likely involve attacks against satellite networks to disrupt adversaries’ access to communications and navigation.”
NATO’s Space Vulnerability
The German warning highlights NATO’s growing dependence on space-based capabilities at a time when adversaries are rapidly developing means to exploit this vulnerability. The alliance relies on a complex network of military and commercial satellites for its operations, including communications systems from France’s Syracuse, Italy’s Sicral, Britain’s Skynet, and America’s WGS constellations.
NATO has operated in space since 1970, beginning with its own satellite programme. However, the alliance now largely depends on member nations’ capabilities, with 15 NATO members active in space. The organisation has committed €1 billion for satellite communications services through 2034, but questions remain about whether these systems can withstand determined attacks from Russia or China.
Intelsat, the commercial operator whose satellites Russia is shadowing, provides critical services to Western militaries. The company recently secured contracts with the US Space Force for global maritime coverage and completed a year-long pilot programme with the US Army for managed satellite services. The targeting of Intelsat by Russian surveillance satellites suggests Moscow views these commercial systems as legitimate military targets.
Germany’s Response and NATO Deterrence
Pistorius underscored the need for NATO to consider developing offensive capabilities in space as a deterrent. “We need talks on developing offensive capabilities in space,” he stated, marking a significant shift in German defence policy traditionally focused on defensive measures.
Germany’s €35 billion space investment through 2030 represents a major commitment to protecting its military capabilities in orbit. The funding will support hardening satellites against attack, developing redundant systems, and potentially creating counterspace capabilities to deter adversaries.
The defence minister’s warnings come as he oversees a broader modernisation of German forces. Pistorius, who became defence minister in January 2023 following Christine Lambrecht’s resignation, has emerged as Germany’s most popular politician according to 2024 polling. Under his leadership, Germany has provided billions in military aid to Ukraine and is working to expand the Bundeswehr from 181,000 to 260,000 soldiers.
Escalating Electronic Warfare
Beyond direct satellite tracking, Russia and China are investing heavily in electronic warfare capabilities designed to disrupt space-based communications without physically destroying satellites. This “non-kinetic” approach allows adversaries to degrade Western capabilities whilst avoiding the international condemnation that would follow a destructive anti-satellite test.
Russia’s electronic warfare operations in Ukraine have already spilled over to affect third-country satellites, with GPS jamming incidents impacting civil aviation across Eastern Europe. The disruption has forced airlines to alter routes and implement backup navigation procedures, demonstrating how space warfare can have cascading effects on civilian infrastructure.
China, meanwhile, has reportedly deployed a satellite in geosynchronous orbit specifically to test jamming capabilities against communications satellites. Internal People’s Liberation Army reports suggest Beijing is preparing for scenarios where disrupting enemy satellite communications would provide decisive military advantage.
International Response Urgently Needed
The revelation of Russian satellites shadowing NATO communications systems underscores the urgent need for international agreements on space security. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits nuclear weapons in orbit but doesn’t address the myriad other ways nations can threaten satellites.
As more nations develop counterspace capabilities, the risk of miscalculation or escalation grows. A conflict in space could create debris fields that would threaten all nations’ satellites for decades, potentially rendering some orbits unusable and crippling global communications, navigation, and weather forecasting.
Western defence officials are racing to develop resilient space architectures that can withstand attack. This includes deploying larger constellations of smaller satellites that are harder to target individually, developing rapid launch capabilities to replace destroyed satellites, and creating terrestrial backup systems for critical military functions.
As Pistorius warned in Berlin, the era of space as a peaceful sanctuary above earthly conflicts has ended. With Russian satellites actively shadowing Western communications systems and China rapidly expanding its military space capabilities, NATO faces a new frontier of vulnerability that could determine the outcome of future conflicts.
The German defence minister’s public disclosure of Russian satellite tracking operations represents a calculated decision to highlight the growing threat and build public support for increased space defence spending. As tensions continue to escalate both on Earth and in orbit, the question is no longer whether space will become a domain of military conflict, but how NATO can deter adversaries from exploiting its growing dependence on satellites for military superiority.
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Image Credit:
Boris Pistorius speaking, 28 February 2018 — photo by Olaf Kosinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Germany)
