Escalating Threat: Russia's Surveillance of UK Military Satellites

Fri Oct 10 2025 18:34:54 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

UK Space Command reports increasing Russian satellite activity targeting British military satellites, leading to heightened concerns over space security.

According to Maj Gen Paul Tedman of the UK Space Command, Russia has been actively surveilling and jamming UK military satellites on a weekly basis, signaling a significant threat to the UK's space capabilities. Tedman emphasized the need for increased investment in space defense technologies, as the frequency of Russian interference has escalated since the invasion of Ukraine. This development raises alarms about the broader implications for military and civilian satellite operations.

Russian satellites have been stalking British military satellites, according to the head of the UK Space Command.

In an interview with the BBC, Maj Gen Paul Tedman has for the first time set out the level of interference from Moscow against the UK's space-based assets.

He said Russia had also been trying to jam the UK's military satellites with ground-based systems every week. Last month Germany's Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, said Russia had been shadowing satellites used by their military.

Space X A satellite being launched into the space by a Space X rocket on a blue clear day. — The UK launched the Tyche military imaging satellite into orbit on a Space X rocket last year

Gen Tedman outlined details of Russia's activities, indicating that they are flying relatively close to British satellites and attempting to collect information from them. He stated that UK military satellites have counter-jamming technologies, yet they are still subjected to jamming efforts from Russia on a persistent basis, now occurring weekly.

Gen Tedman noted the deliberate nature of these actions, pointing out that Russian interference has intensified since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 'We currently have half a dozen dedicated military satellites in orbit providing communications and surveillance,' he said, highlighting the contrast with the US, China, and Russia, each of which possess over a hundred satellites.

The increasing congestion in space is also a growing concern, with approximately 45,000 objects in orbit. This alarming figure includes around 9,000 satellites.

The UK government is responding by promising more investments in space and missile defense technologies, including testing new sensors to detect laser threats from adversaries. Gen Tedman remarked, 'We've committed to invest a billion pounds into integrated air and missile defense, and I'd be surprised if there's not a space aspect to how we're going to defend the UK.'

As tension escalates, the strategic importance of space capabilities is becoming critical for national security, with calls for heightened investment reflecting the urgency of the situation.