Ukraine’s parliament backs bill establishing Space Forces in first reading
Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, supported in first reading a bill establishing Space Forces within the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The proposal would provide for missile-launch early warning, countermeasures, and a national secure satellite communications system, but still requires a second reading for final approval.
Key points
- The Verkhovna Rada backed bill No. 13255 in first reading on November 9
- 252 MPs voted for the bill
- The bill proposes a system for early warning of hostile missile launches and countermeasures
- It also provides for a national secure satellite communications system for security and defense
- 254 MPs supported shortening the bill’s preparation timetable for the second reading
- The bill was registered in May 2025 and still requires a second-reading vote
- Fedor Venislavsky said command-level regulations and the appointment of command leadership would follow adoption
Why it matters
The bill would formalize Ukraine’s military use of space and create institutional capacity to detect hostile missile launches, develop countermeasures, protect communications, and respond to attacks conducted through space. It would also expand Ukraine’s existing reliance on satellite imagery, space-domain monitoring, and commercial reconnaissance services.
What happened
On November 9, the Verkhovna Rada supported bill No. 13255 in first reading, with 252 MPs voting in favor. The proposal would establish Space Forces within the Armed Forces of Ukraine and develop organizational, legal, institutional, and military-technical capabilities to counter aggression from space. Its measures include an early-warning system for hostile missile launches, countermeasures against missile attacks, and a national secure satellite communications system for security and defense needs.
The MPs also voted by 254 votes to shorten the timetable for preparing the bill for a second reading. Final adoption remains pending and requires another vote in parliament.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage presents the vote as a step toward creating a new branch of the armed forces. Reporting emphasizes missile-launch detection, countermeasures, secure communications, and support for long-range precision strikes, while also highlighting Ukraine’s existing technical base, international space partnerships, domestic satellite ambitions, and reliance on commercial space services.
Background
Bill No. 13255 was registered in May 2025. Its authors justify the need for Space Forces partly by Russia’s use of the Oreshnik missile to strike Ukrainian territory through international space. They say Ukraine has the scientific, engineering, manufacturing, and infrastructure capacity to develop satellites and their control systems.
Ukraine already has ground infrastructure and specialist institutions, including the National Center for Control and Testing of Space Assets. Its armed forces use opto-electronic and radar imagery and signals intelligence supplied by state and private companies, including NGA, SAG-U, and Maxar. The Ministry of Defence and the Main Directorate of Intelligence are working to obtain satellites for Ukraine. The Defence Ministry has also established a space policy unit responsible for infrastructure audits, regulations, defence satellite launches, and integrating space systems into military technologies.