Russian spy satellites intercept EU countries' secret data — FT

Officials believe that the alleged interceptions, which were not previously reported, risk not only compromising confidential information but could also allow Moscow to manipulate their trajectories or even cause them to crash.

Russian spacecraft have been tracking European satellites for the past three years. These are the Luch-1 and Luch-2 satellites, which have repeatedly performed suspicious maneuvers in orbit.

Both spacecraft have made risky close approaches to some of Europe's geostationary satellites, which operate high above the Earth and serve the continent, as well as much of Africa and the Middle East.

According to orbital data and ground-based telescope observations, they have lingered near them for weeks, especially over the past three years. Since its launch in 2023, Luch-2 has approached 17 European satellites.

Major General Michael Traut, head of the German Armed Forces Space Command, says both satellites are suspected of conducting signals intelligence.

The official expresses concern that confidential information, including data from European satellites, is not encrypted. This makes it vulnerable to future interference or even destruction.

According to the agency's sources, Luch-1 and Luch-2 are unlikely to have the ability to jam or destroy satellites. However, they have probably provided Russia with large amounts of data on how such systems can be disrupted, both from the ground and in orbit.

Russia constantly monitors British military satellites in space and tries to gather information from them.

Earlier, Germany also reported that Russia was developing powerful laser weapons that can permanently blind satellites. German satellites are being targeted by Russian spy satellites, which can damage or destroy them.