Parlamento.INSTANCE Special Forces approval in Ukrainian first reading, with 252 votes
On 9 November, Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada supported the main provisions of bill No. 13255 on establishing Space Forces within the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with 252 deputies voting in favor. The bill provides for an early-warning system for detecting enemy missile launches, countermeasures, and a national protected satellite communications system. It still requires a second reading to be adopted.
Pontos principais
- On 9 November, the Verkhovna Rada supported bill No. 13255 in first reading with 252 votes.
- The bill would establish Space Forces within the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- It provides for a system to detect enemy missile launches and develop countermeasures.
- It provides for a national protected satellite communications system for security and defence.
- The bill was registered in May 2025 and still requires a second reading.
- 254 deputies voted to shorten the preparation period for the second reading.
- The draft was registered in May 2025; the previous government programme had set 31 December 2025 as the deadline for creating the Space Forces, which was missed.
Por que importa
The bill would formally establish a new branch of the Armed Forces focused on space capabilities. It would provide Ukraine with its own tools to detect enemy missile launches, develop countermeasures, and maintain protected satellite communications for the security and defence sector. Its initiators also cite the threat posed by Russian strikes involving the Oreshnik missile through international space as grounds for creating the new force.
O que aconteceu
On 9 November, the Verkhovna Rada supported bill No. 13255 in first reading, with 252 MPs voting in favor of its main provisions. The bill proposes establishing Space Forces within the Armed Forces of Ukraine, developing space technologies to strengthen the country's defence capabilities, creating an early-warning system for enemy missile launches and developing countermeasures against such attacks. It also provides for a national system of protected satellite communications for the security and defence sector, as well as organisational, legal, institutional and military-technical capabilities to counter aggression from space by Russia and other potential adversaries. Deputies also voted by 254 votes to shorten the preparation period for the second reading. The document is not yet final and must be put to a vote in second reading.
O que dizem as fontes ucranianas
Ukrainian coverage emphasizes the vote count, the proposed defensive capabilities, and the institutional steps that will be needed after adoption. Reporting also highlights Ukraine's existing space infrastructure, international cooperation and emerging domestic satellite efforts as the foundation for building the Space Forces. The planned creation deadline set in the previous government programme was missed.
Contexto
Bill No. 13255 was registered in May 2025. Its authors say Ukraine has the scientific, engineering, manufacturing and infrastructure potential to develop its own satellites and control systems. Ukraine already uses satellite imagery, space situational awareness tools, and optical-electronic, radar-imaging and radio-technical reconnaissance services from state and private companies, including NGA, SAG-U and Maxar. It cooperates on space projects with Luxembourg, Poland, Czechia and Sweden, and participates in the international Artemis programme. The Ministry of Defence has established a space policy unit tasked with auditing space infrastructure, preparing regulations, launching defence satellites and integrating space systems into military technologies. In late October, Ukrainian company Himera, in partnership with Denmark's GomSpace, launched the Obria nano test vehicle into orbit, which is expected to form the basis of an autonomous Ukrainian network of about 245 satellites.