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CIO Bulletin
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05 November, 2026
Author:
Ravathi Sunil
A Russian military satellite crept up on a Western commercial one, and a space analyst says it may have been practice for something far worse.
A Russian satellite attack rehearsal may have played out far above our heads last month, and CIO Bulletin has been following the story closely. A military space specialist says a Russian satellite that crept up on a Western commercial one in October could have been practicing for a real attack.
The Russian satellite, called Cosmos 2612, made a very close approach to a satellite named X36 in mid-October. X36 belongs to Finnish company ICEYE and sends radar pictures to Western governments and militaries, including Ukraine. Three space specialists called it one of the closest known approaches by a Russian military spacecraft to a commercial satellite in low orbit.
Greg Gillinger, a senior space analyst at Integrity ISR, a US firm that trains US space forces, said the encounter “looks like an attack rehearsal.” US Under Secretary of State Thomas DiNanno said the behavior of Cosmos 2612 fit the pattern of weapons operations in orbit.
Cosmos 2612 is one of six military satellites Russia launched in April.
Four of them moved close to X36 in May.
Cosmos 2612 later moved about 400 km away.
Two sibling satellites now drift toward another ICEYE craft, X37.
Not everyone is ready to call it an attack plan. Gillinger himself warned that the ability to make such moves is not proof of hostile intent, and that public orbital data cannot reveal the true purpose. The Russian satellite is also publicly listed as a servicing and inspection craft. Still, space consultant Andrew Turner said the approach raises the risk of an attack, whether deliberate or accidental. So is this a show of strength or a rehearsal for something worse?
The episode has raised fresh worries about how safe commercial satellites really are, since armies now depend on them. CIO Bulletin will keep tracking this story as new details emerge.
News Source: Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/
Everything you need to know about this news
It is a Russian military satellite, publicly listed as a servicing and inspection craft, that approached a Western commercial satellite in mid-October.
It approached X36, a radar imaging satellite run by Finnish company ICEYE that serves Western governments and militaries, including Ukraine.
Analyst Greg Gillinger said the encounter looks like practice for an attack, though he admits public data cannot prove the real purpose.
Two sibling satellites are drifting toward the orbital path of another ICEYE spacecraft, called X37. The movement is still being watched by analysts.
Commercial satellites now support military operations, so any attack could disrupt the services they provide and raise tensions on Earth. Many people rely on satellite data every day without realizing it.
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