Russia will consider commercial satellites belonging to the U.S. and its allies “legitimate [military] targets” if they’re used as part of the war in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry official Konstantin Vorontsov said at a meeting of the UN General Assembly First Committee on Thursday.
Separately, we’d like to emphasize the extremely dangerous trend that has clearly manifested itself over the course of the events in Ukraine. I’m referring to the U.S. and its allies using civilian infrastructure in space, including commercial infrastructure, in armed conflict.
Quasi-civilian infrastructure can be a legitimate target for a retaliatory strike. As a result of the West’s actions, the stability of peaceful space activity is being subjected to undue risks, as are the numerous socioeconomic processes on earth that people’s welfare depends on — first and foremost, in developing countries.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Elon Musk’s company SpaceX has provided the Ukrainian government access to its Starlink satellite system. Ukrainian troops use Starlink to communicate, coordinate troop movement, control drones, and adjust their artillery fire.
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