Chinese Spy Satellites Tracked Over Ukraine During Russia’s Massive Missile Strike

During a massive Russian missile and drone strike across western Ukraine on Oct. 5, at least three Chinese reconnaissance satellites passed over the regions that bore the brunt of the attack, Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi reported, citing data from the Heavens Above monitoring service.

Militarnyi said the Yaogan 33 series, Yaogan 33, Yaogan 33-03 and Yaogan 33-04, made a combined nine passes over Lviv Region between midnight and 11:30 a.m. An optical reconnaissance satellite, Yaogan 34, was later observed joining those overflights.

According to the report, the orbital parameters of the Yaogan series mean more than 60 different Yaogan satellites of various types are capable of operating over Ukraine; they can conduct optical, radar, and electronic-intelligence missions.

Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service has reported instances in which it says Chinese satellite data were passed to Russia and used to plan missile strikes inside Ukraine, including against facilities owned by foreign investors.

Oleg Aleksandrov, a service official, told Ukrinform, “There are facts of high-level cooperation between Russia and China in conducting satellite reconnaissance of Ukrainian territory to identify and reconnoiter strategic targets for strikes. As we have seen in recent months, those targets can belong to foreign investors.”

Satellites in the Yaogan family typically occupy low Earth orbits at roughly 700 kilometers (435 miles), allowing them to circle the planet about every 90 minutes, Militarnyi said.

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Official details about the capabilities of Yaogan 33 satellites remain sparse. China publicly describes these satellites as tools for scientific experiments, land-resource surveys, and disaster prevention, but analysts and open-source observers often characterize many Yaogan platforms as military reconnaissance assets – some believed to carry synthetic-aperture radar systems similar to those used by commercial SAR operators.

In the early hours of Oct. 5, Russia launched a massive combined missile-and-drone assault across Ukraine, targeting multiple regions simultaneously.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Moscow deployed 496 attack drones and 53 missiles of various types during the overnight onslaught. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted or neutralized 478 of the airborne threats, including 439 Shahed-type drones, one Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missile, 32 Kh-101/Iskander-K cruise missiles, and six Kalibr cruise missiles.

The western Lviv region suffered the heaviest damage. Local authorities reported that at least four civilians were killed and another four injured amid widespread destruction to residential areas and energy infrastructure.