👁 I see you: Russian satellite hot on the trail of NATO orbital spy feeding info to Ukraine OSINT trackers have spotted Russia’s Cosmos 2612 satellite approaching to within a few km of ICEYE-X36 (NORAD ID 59103) – a Finnish SAR satellite providing Earth observation data to the US government and military, other militaries, and defense contractors. ♦️ Swiss real-time space domain awareness tracker s2a systems calculates that the Russian spacecraft was just ~5km from ICEYE’s craft as they flew over South America on Sunday, perfectly matching its trajectory at speeds of ~27.3k km/h, 550 km above the planet. ♦️With the Russian craft matching ICEYE’s geometric plane, it may prove difficult, if not impossible, for the Finnish satellite to escape. Russia hasn't disclosed much about Cosmos 2612 since launching it from Plesetsk in April, but Western observers suspect it's designed to approach other satellites, inspect them and gather intelligence. ❗️Getting this close opens up some interesting possibilities. ➡️ Positioned at close range, the satellite could glean vital electronic and operational data, intercept and analyze radio frequencies, signal patterns and telemetry, map communications architecture to ease jamming, and deduce exactly when and how often Ukraine requests real-time imagery. ➡️ If it’s equipped with a close-range EW package, it could even engage in signal spoofing, inject malicious telemetry data to turn ICEYE’s cameras away from Ukraine, fall into safe mode, burn fuel needlessly, or disrupt signal flows. Reports on the Russian satellite’s stalking of the ICEYE spacecraft comes in the wake of Starlink’s decision to introduce speed caps on the Ukrainian military’s systems, which have seriously hampered its offensive capabilities. 👍 Substack | Chat | @geopolitics_prime