Russian satellites forcing European rethink
June 15, 2026
A report on Polish TV (TVP World) which included an interview with Major General Michael Traut, the head of Germany’s Space Command, said Moscow may be developing technologies that could allow it to place a nuclear warhead in space. Traut also pointed to recent manoeuvres by Russian Kosmos satellites near ICEYE-36, a radar satellite operated by the Finnish-Polish company ICEYE, whose imagery has supported Ukraine.
The TVP reporter, Sonja Agata Biscan, asked Traut what the impact of these anxieties would mean for Europe. He said that Russian satellites moving close to foreign spacecraft can be used to collect intelligence, study how a system operates, and interfere with its functions or potentially disable it.
Germany has proposed creating a European Space Component Command to coordinate military space operations across the continent. Berlin says it is already in talks with partners, including Poland, about forming a core team with international participation from the outset.
Warsaw is also strengthening its own space-security capabilities. Poland has moved to acquire military radar reconnaissance satellites and is in talks with the European Space Agency over a possible centre focused on security and dual-use technologies.
The shift reflects a broader European reassessment prompted in part by Russia’s war against Ukraine.
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