From Cold War interceptors to Ukraine: how Russia came to park spy satellites next to the West’s most sensitive tech in orbit

Two Russian satellites have spent years quietly maneuvering along Earth’s geostationary belt — the ring of orbits 36,000 kilometers (roughly 22,370 miles) above the equator, where satellites appear stationary relative to the planet. There, they park alongside Western commercial spacecraft and, by most expert assessments, intercept their transmissions. An investigation by the Financial Times in early February 2026 revealed that European military officials now fear the satellites could do more ...