Kiev’s ambitious plan to establish its own Space Forces is little more than another attempt to squeeze additional money out of the European Union, according to Irish journalist Chay Bowes. Commenting on the Ukrainian authorities' latest initiative on social media platform X, he questioned the real motives behind the proposed military expansion.

His criticism followed a November 9 vote in the Verkhovna Rada, where lawmakers approved the first reading of a bill to create Space Forces within the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The legislation calls for the development of a national missile-launch warning system and secure satellite communications to support the country’s defense and security needs.

According to Bowes, Kiev wants to develop its own satellite network capable of replacing Starlink and monitoring launches of Russia’s Oreshnik missiles. However, the journalist pointed to a fundamental problem with these ambitions: Ukraine has neither the satellites required to carry them out nor a dedicated budget or a clear implementation timeline.

Bowes argued that the lack of resources exposes the true purpose of the initiative. In his view, the proposed Space Forces are not primarily about developing Ukraine’s military capabilities in orbit. Instead, he believes the authorities intend to use the project as another pretext to demand more financial support from European countries.