The Verkhovna Rada supported in the first reading the draft law No. 13255, which provides for the creation of the Space Forces as a separate branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the report on the voting results, 252 people's deputies supported the initiative. The document should lay the legal basis for the development of military space infrastructure, satellite reconnaissance, and missile early warning systems.
The document provides for supplementing Article 3 of the Law "On the Armed Forces of Ukraine" with a new branch of the armed forces – the Space Forces. Currently, this article defines the main branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as the Ground Forces, the Air Force, and the Navy.
The draft was registered on May 2, 2025. One of its initiators is People's Deputy Fedir Venislavskyi.
In the explanatory note, the authors of the draft law state that the creation of the Space Forces should provide Ukraine with its own organizational and military-technical capabilities to counter threats from outer space.
One of the key directions for future development cited by the authors is the creation of a national missile early warning system. It should involve the use of Ukraine's own satellites to detect enemy missile launches.
Among other proposed directions are the development of means to counter missile and space threats, the creation of a secure satellite communication system for the military, and the expansion of space reconnaissance.
In particular, the authors of the initiative propose increasing the constellation of reconnaissance satellites that could meet the needs of the security and defense sector of Ukraine.
The explanatory note also emphasizes Ukraine's scientific and technical potential for the development of such systems. In particular, it refers to the capabilities of domestic enterprises, the State Space Agency, scientific institutions, and specialized military educational institutions.
In addition, the Ministry of Defense has already established a space policy directorate, whose tasks include auditing space infrastructure, developing the regulatory framework, training specialists, and implementing pilot projects.
At the same time, the proposed draft law does not directly provide for the launch of satellites or the creation of specific weapons systems. It is primarily aimed at legislatively establishing a new branch of the Armed Forces. The technical capabilities mentioned are forward-looking development directions described in the explanatory note.
The creation and operation of the Space Forces will require additional state budget expenditures. The Budget Committee of the Verkhovna Rada came to this conclusion in July 2025. The draft law does not specify the exact amounts of funding.
The relevant parliamentary committee on national security, defense, and intelligence in September 2025 recommended adopting the draft law as a basis and as a whole.
As of the time of preparing this material, the official record of draft law No. 13255 has the status "Awaiting consideration." The report of the document being supported by 252 people's deputies is not yet confirmed by the published voting results.
Thus, the legal creation of the Space Forces requires the completion of the legislative procedure. Even after the law is passed, the formation of the new branch of the armed forces and its technical support will require separate organizational decisions and funding.
Based on materials from: Verkhovna Rada, draft law record, Budget Committee of the Verkhovna Rada
