Verkhovna Rada votes to create Space Forces within the Armed Forces of Ukraine

On November 9, Ukraine's parliament supported bill No. 13255 on creating a separate branch of the armed forces — the Space Forces. The document provides for reconnaissance satellites, secure communications, and an early warning system for missile launches. Media outlets differ in their assessment of the stage of the law's passage.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 9 November 2026 at 17:012 min read

The key facts

252 deputies voted for the creation of the Space Forces with zero votes 'against'
Bill No. 13255 provides for reconnaissance and communications satellites independent of Western partners
Anadolu reports a first-reading vote 'as a basis', while Ukrainian and Russian outlets report adoption

Parliamentary vote

On November 9, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted for bill No. 13255 on creating a separate branch of the armed forces — the Space Forces. According to the broadcast of the session, 252 deputies voted 'in favor', zero 'against', two abstained, and 35 did not vote. The parliament also announced the vote on its Telegram channel.

What the bill provides for

According to the document, Ukraine plans to establish the launch of reconnaissance satellites and orbital communications independent of Western partners. Gazeta.Ru clarifies that the initiative includes creating its own early warning system for missile launches, means of countering such attacks, and a national secure satellite communications system for the security and defense sector. The explanatory note cited by Anadolu, states that the law should provide 'organizational, legal, institutional and military-technical capabilities' to counter the threat of aggression from space — from Russia or any other potential aggressor; for this purpose, amendments to the current legislation are proposed.

Stage of passage and context

Media outlets differ in their assessment of the document's status: Anadolu, citing the Rada, writes that the bill was supported in the first reading 'as a basis', while Life.ru and Gazeta.Ru describe the vote as the adoption of the law. Earlier, on November 8, The Guardian reported, citing its own data, that Ukraine is accelerating work on space infrastructure to reduce dependence on Starlink: according to the outlet, at least three tests of systems for intercepting targets in near-Earth space have been conducted, and the deployment of its own satellite constellation is underway. Life.ru also recalls that Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian engineers have developments on a Starlink analog without disclosing details, and it was previously reported that the first test satellite had been launched.