Russian military satellite activity could threaten commercial satellite constellations such as SpaceX’s Starlink, Major General Michael Traut, head of the German Armed Forces Space Command, told Reuters in comments published on 9 October 2026. The warning follows maneuvers in May by four Russian military satellites that moved close to a commercial radar-imaging satellite operated by the Finnish company ICEYE, according to the US Space Force.
How this was sourced: Reuters conducted the interview. This account is assembled from two outlets that carried its reporting, Fakti.bg and The News International, because the Reuters original was not directly available to us. Where the two differ on spelling, this article uses Traut (Fakti.bg also renders the surname “Trout”) and Kosmos-2610 to Kosmos-2613 (The News International writes “Cosmos 2610–2613”).
Key facts
- Four Russian spacecraft, Kosmos-2610 to Kosmos-2613, carried out the May maneuvers. Russia has not publicly disclosed their capabilities or why it deployed them, according to The News International.
- ICEYE confirmed to Reuters that the satellite approached was its own. The company operates radar-imaging satellites and supplies data to the United States and its allies; Fakti.bg reports the spacecraft involved was used to obtain battlefield images for intelligence purposes, and The News International describes ICEYE as providing battlefield intelligence to Ukraine and its allies.
- Traut described the Russian satellites as “stalking” the ICEYE satellite.
- No Starlink spacecraft was involved in the May encounter. Traut’s reference to Starlink is a hypothetical about where the same tactics could be aimed next.
Why it matters
Traut’s argument to Reuters is that the exposure is not confined to military customers. Starlink is a satellite internet service sold to consumers, and he said Russia is demonstrating methods “which, if employed directly towards a mega constellation like Starlink, could have an impact on their lifetime and on the quality of service for all users, not just Ukraine,” as quoted by The News International. The same outlet reports he added that such capabilities could be disrupted even without a direct attack, something that concerns him quite a lot.
The mechanism is propellant. Fuel spent dodging debris is fuel no longer available for station-keeping, and a satellite that runs dry reaches the end of its usable life early and has to be replaced sooner. That bites hardest on a constellation that is both large and low: Starlink News has covered US regulatory clearance for 15,000 more Starlink mobile satellites, and the newer Starlink satellite designs fly lower than earlier generations, where atmospheric drag demands propellant simply to hold altitude. Neither Fakti.bg nor The News International quantifies how much lifetime a single evasive maneuver costs, or what the effect would look like on one subscriber’s connection; Traut’s claim is pitched at the level of fleet lifetime and overall quality of service.
Fakti.bg frames the episode as a demonstration of how far Western militaries now depend on private space companies for capabilities they do not own themselves.
The grey-zone scenario Traut described
An open attack on a Starlink satellite would mean a serious escalation of hostilities, Traut told Reuters, so the risk he sketched sits in what he called the grey area: no direct hit, but satellite operations put at risk anyway.
His hypothetical, as reported by Fakti.bg, runs like this. A Russian satellite deviates from the orbital path of a Starlink spacecraft and then disintegrates, which could force other satellites to carry out evasive maneuvers. Applied across a constellation of thousands, Fakti.bg reports, the tactic could affect service for every user.
What ICEYE says about close approaches
ICEYE chief executive Rafal Modzewski told Reuters that a close approach between satellites could be used either to monitor them or potentially to harm them, Fakti.bg reports.
Background: interference since 2022
Russian interference with Western satellite systems has increased significantly since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, according to sources cited by Reuters and reported by Fakti.bg. The News International frames it similarly, citing Western military officials on a spike since 2022 in on-orbit trailing and ground-based jamming, amid wider concern about hybrid threats and grey-zone tactics. Neither account attaches a number of incidents to that trend. Russia is meanwhile assembling a satellite internet network of its own: Starlink News has reported on Russia’s own Starlink-style user terminals.
Germany’s response
The News International reports that Germany is developing its own inspector satellites and weighing non-destructive orbital defence capabilities. It is also working with companies including ICEYE to build dozens of new surveillance satellites for NATO’s eastern flank.
What is not established
Neither report describes an attack on a Starlink satellite, any degradation of Starlink service, or any change to Starlink availability or pricing in any market. Both also leave the basic geometry of the May encounter blank: no closest-approach distance, no orbital altitude and no exact date within the month. Russia’s intent with the Kosmos spacecraft remains undisclosed, per The News International, and space experts quoted by that outlet treat the close approaches as raising security questions for Starlink and the broader space industry rather than answering them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the May close approach damage ICEYE’s satellite?
Neither account reports damage to the spacecraft or any interruption to ICEYE’s imaging work. What is reported is that ICEYE confirmed to Reuters that one of its satellites was the one approached, and that its chief executive described close approaches as something that can be used to monitor a satellite or potentially to harm it.
What has the Kremlin said about Western commercial satellites?
According to Fakti.bg’s account of the Reuters reporting, the Kremlin has periodically warned that satellites used to aid Ukraine could become legitimate targets for retaliatory strikes. At the same time, Russia denies carrying out sabotage operations in European countries, and The News International reports that Moscow has denied waging hybrid operations against NATO states.
Is Starlink the only constellation Traut was warning about?
No. As reported, his warning covers commercial satellite constellations generally, and the spacecraft actually approached in May was a radar-imaging satellite rather than a communications one. Starlink features in his account as the example of a mega constellation where the same tactics would have the widest effect.
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