A Russian military satellite approached a spacecraft operated by Finnish company ICEYE in mid-October 2026, raising questions about whether the maneuver was intended to test capabilities for a potential attack on a foreign satellite, Reuters reported.

The Russian Kosmos-2612 satellite moved close to ICEYE’s X36 spacecraft, which belongs to a network providing radar imagery to Western military forces, including the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Greg Gillinger, a senior space programs analyst at Integrity ISR, a company involved in training US Space Force personnel, suggested that the maneuver could have been a rehearsal for a possible strike against another spacecraft.

According to the American expert, the unusually close approach may have been intended to assess Russia’s ability to physically interfere with a satellite. Gillinger argued that operating at such a short distance would not have been necessary for intelligence gathering or electronic jamming.

Reuters reported that Kosmos-2612 subsequently moved approximately 400 kilometers away from X36. However, no evidence was presented to establish that Russia had been preparing an attack, and the Finnish satellite continued operating.

The news agency also reported movements by other Russian satellites near another ICEYE spacecraft, adding to questions surrounding Moscow’s activities in orbit.

However, Major General Michael Traut, commander of Germany’s Space Command, cautioned against drawing premature conclusions about the Russian satellite’s intentions.

Speaking to Reuters, Traut explained that close-proximity satellite operations can serve several purposes, ranging from inspection and surveillance to interference with another spacecraft. The actual capabilities involved depend on the equipment installed aboard the satellite.

The German commander stressed that the ability to approach another spacecraft does not, by itself, demonstrate preparations for an attack.

He also noted that publicly available orbital tracking data cannot establish the true purpose of such maneuvers, leaving the intentions behind Kosmos-2612’s close approach to ICEYE’s X36 satellite uncertain.