Italy Grants Ukraine Access to Two Military Radar Satellites
Italy is granting Ukraine access to imagery from two Cosmo-SkyMed military radar satellites as part of its 13th aid package, Il Messaggero reported, with use limited to Ukrainian territory.
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Defense Minister Guido Crosetto presented the classified 13th package to Copasir, the parliamentary committee that oversees security and intelligence, on Nov. 10, 2026, and spoke for about two hours, L’Espresso reported.
Qualified sources told Il Messaggero in October that the package would again include access to images from two of the six satellites in Italy’s Cosmo-SkyMed constellation.
Two Second-Generation Satellites
Both spacecraft are second-generation radar satellites built by Thales Alenia Space, a Leonardo-Thales venture, the newspaper said.
They can collect high-quality images by day and night, and through rain or cloud cover.
The constellation is managed by the Italian Space Agency and funded by the government.
The latest Cosmo-SkyMed satellite was launched on Jan. 2, 2026, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Il Messaggero reported that Italy has already shared Cosmo-SkyMed imagery with Ukraine since the early months of the war, and that Kyiv has valued that support in private talks with Rome.
A Limit on Russian Territory
On paper, informal arrangements between the two sides allow Ukrainian forces to use the imagery only over Ukrainian territory.
That restriction is a red line for Italy, the newspaper said, because the data must not be used to direct offensives or airstrikes inside Russia.
The radar pictures are an intelligence tool, not a communications network.
Unlike Starlink, they do not provide internet links for units or drones; they help locate vehicles, trenches and depots, including at night and in bad weather.
The reported satellite access comes as Ukraine has faced recurring limits on U.S. military satellite services, a dispute examined in Clash Report’s earlier reporting on the White House order to slow SpaceX’s Starshield.
Aid Package Remains Classified
The contents of the decree, also to be signed by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, are secret, as earlier packages were.
Il Messaggero said the 13th package would also include munitions for SAMP/T air-defense batteries.
Clash Report earlier reported that Italy had delayed the same package amid a coalition rift, and that Crosetto intended to extend the legal framework for military aid into 2027.
Rome has not officially confirmed the satellite element.
The current legal authority for arms transfers to Ukraine expires on Dec. 31, 2026.
Kamer Kurunç
Kamer Kurunç is the Team Leader of Clash Report and has led the outlet for four years. He oversees its breaking world news coverage, from the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war to defense and global politics. His focus is fast, verified, source-based reporting. Follow him on X at @kamerknc.
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