China’s satellite intel given to Russia is now a central concern for Kyiv, with Ukrainian spies warning that Beijing’s satellite data is helping Moscow aim missile strikes more accurately at targets across Ukraine, including facilities tied to foreign investors. Ukrainian officials say this cooperation turns outer space into another front in the war and raises the cost of doing business in Ukraine for global companies.

China’s satellite support sharpens Russian targeting

Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SZR) reports a high level of coordination between Russian and Chinese services in satellite reconnaissance over Ukrainian territory. According to SZR representative Oleh Aleksandrov, Chinese imagery and tracking help Russia select and refine “strategic targets” before missile launches. Some of those targets, he notes, may include infrastructure and production sites owned or operated by international investors, not only Ukrainian state assets.

One recent strike destroyed a US-owned Flex electronics plant in Mukachevo in western Ukraine. Authorities have not confirmed whether Chinese satellite data was used in that specific attack, but the incident shows how far from the frontline precision strikes can reach and how exposed foreign-owned facilities have become.

Beijing’s deeper role in Russia’s war machine

Satellite cooperation is only one part of Beijing’s support. Earlier SZR findings say Chinese companies supply gunpowder, specialty chemicals, industrial machinery, and key components to at least 20 Russian defense plants. Ukrainian intelligence estimates that by early 2025, about 80 percent of the crucial electronics inside Russian drones came from China, underscoring how dependent Moscow’s war industry is on Chinese technology and exports.

This growing reliance prompted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to tell the UN Security Council that Russia is now essentially dependent on China, stressing that Beijing has the leverage to curb Moscow’s aggression but has chosen to keep support flowing.

Rising pressure on China from Ukraine and its allies

The latest intelligence emerges as the United States and European partners debate how far to go in pressuring Beijing over its backing for Russia. US President Donald Trump has said Washington is working to end the war and hopes for constructive talks with Xi Jinping, yet Ukraine’s revelations make any outreach to Beijing more complex.

For Ukraine and its allies, China’s satellite support to Russia raises the stakes well beyond the battlefield. It threatens foreign investors on Ukrainian soil, blurs the line between civilian and military infrastructure, and pushes the global debate over how far states can go in using space-based technology to wage war.