Russia accused of 'chasing' German satellites as space warfare fears explode

Two Russian surveillance satellites are 'pursuing' satellites used by Germany (Image: Getty)

Two Russian surveillance satellites are "pursuing" satellites used by Germany's armed forces, Germany's defence minister has said. Boris Pistorius told a conference in Berlin on Thursday that Russia and China have rapidly their capabilities for warfare in space.

As evidence, he pointed to concerns over two Russian satellites which he said had been shadowing Intelsat satellites used by armed forces from Germany and other countries. Mr Pistorius called for talks on developing a deterrent in space.

China and Russia have both been developing their space military capabilities along with the US, which set up the United States Space Force in 2019.

The US has dominated civilian and military space technology, but Russia and China are battling to catch up. In 2013, China tested a missile which was capable of reaching the orbit where the US deploys its most sensitive military satellites.

In the 1960s, world leaders raised the alarm as a Cold War arms race between the US and Soviet Union threatened to spread into space.

A 1967 treaty signed by the US, Soviet Union and other countries designated the moon and planets as free for all humankind to use for peaceful purposes only.

The pact is still in place, but it has come under pressure, including in the 1980s when former US president Ronald Reagan proposed development of a "Star Wars" system which could intercept and destroy Soviet missiles.

GPS satellite communications are used by countries' militaries for navigation, with the US and China believed by experts to be particularly reliant on the technology.

Fears Russia was developing a nuclear capability to take out satellites led the US and Japan to table a UN draft resolution in 2024 aimed at reaffirming the 1967 treaty's ban on nuclear weapons in space. Russia vetoed the resolution.

An amendment proposed by Russia called on countries to take urgent steps to ban all types of weapons in outer space, not just weapons of mass destruction.