BERLIN (AP) — Russia is currently tracking two satellites used by the German military, the German defense minister said Thursday as he announced a €35 billion ($41 billion) investment in the country’s space programs over the next five years.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, addressing a space conference in Berlin, said two Russian Luch-Olymp reconnaissance satellites are tracking two IntelSat satellites that are used by, among others, the German armed forces.
Pistorius said Russia and China have the capability to engage in space warfare and already occupy strategic positions in space.
“They can jam, blind, manipulate, or kinetically disrupt satellites,” he said, adding that the German military has already been targeted by jamming attacks.
Pistorius said that, as he was speaking, “39 Chinese and Russian reconnaissance satellites are flying over us” — with their observations being transmitted in real-time.
“So be careful what you say,” he added.
