Russia has moved its co-orbital anti-satellite weapons from testing to operational deployment, with US Space Command warning that Nivelir satellites are now within striking distance of high-value American spacecraft. Gen. Stephen Whiting said Russia is "putting operational systems up within orbit reach of our high-value satellites."

The Nivelir program has placed four satellites in low-Earth orbit that shadow National Reconnaissance Office spy satellites. These "nesting doll" spacecraft have released smaller satellites and tested a projectile in 2020. The latest launch last May from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome was precisely timed to intersect with the USA 338 Keyhole spy satellite's orbital plane.

Russia's push into space weapons stems from what Whiting called a "conventional arms deficit" compared to the US and NATO. US forces rely on satellite surveillance, navigation, and missile warning for all major military operations—capabilities that would be vulnerable if these assets were attacked. The general compared Russia's actions to the US testing a new fighter jet near Russian bombers rather than on domestic ranges.