Europe Raises Alarm as Russian Satellites Close-In and Capture Unencrypted Signals

European security officials and intelligence sources are warning that Russian spacecraft may have been intercepting signals from multiple key European satellites, potentially exposing sensitive communications and highlighting escalating space security concerns.

According to a Financial Times report, two Russian satellites — commonly identified as Luch-1 and Luch-2 — have conducted repeated close manoeuvres around geostationary satellites that serve Europe, the U.K., and parts of Africa and the Middle East. These activities, tracked by space agencies and ground observers over the past three years, include prolonged approaches near European assets that transmit both civilian and government data.

European security officials say these missions may have allowed Moscow to capture unencrypted command and control data from satellite communications. Since many older satellites lack modern encryption, the officials assert that Russian spacecraft could be positioned within the narrow transmission beams used for ground-to-satellite links, enabling them to record or analyse sensitive information.

While the Russian satellites are not believed to be capable of directly destroying or jamming the European satellites, analysts warn that the intercepted intelligence could be used later to mimic control commands, manipulate satellite trajectories, or even disrupt operations if exploited in a conflict scenario.

Officials frame the suspected interceptions as part of a broader expansion of hybrid warfare tactics in space, following other disruptions such as subsea cable sabotage and terrestrial cyber operations. European defenses have been shifting toward greater space security investment amid these developments.