January 1, Russia Says US, Allies Could Become Targets

A senior Russian official warned that commercial satellites belonging to the U.S. and its allies could become legitimate targets if they get involved in the war in Ukraine.

Konstantin Vorontsov, deputy director of the Russian foreign ministry’s department for non-proliferation and arms control, told the United Nations on Wednesday that the U.S. and its allies were trying to use space “to ensure their superiority and supremacy.”

Last month, Vorontsov said that Russia is concerned “about the realization of policies aimed at the placement of weapons in outer space and the use of outer space for military purposes by the group of U.N. Member-States in order to ensure their superiority and supremacy.”

Russia launched the first manmade satellite — Sputnik 1 — into space in 1957. It also sent the first man into outer space in 1961. The country’s offensive space capability is robust, on par with the U.S. and China. Last year, Moscow sent an anti-satellite missile to blow up one of its own satellites.

Vorontsov said the “provocative” use of Western satellites to assist Ukraine’s war effort was “an extremely dangerous trend.”

“Quasi-civilian infrastructure may be a legitimate target for a retaliatory strike,” Vorontsov told the U.N. First Committee.

Western commercial satellites have captured Russia’s military developments, including damage to its air bases and mass graves in Russian-occupied areas. SpaceX co-founder Elon Musk has deployed his company’s Starlink satellites above Ukraine since the early days of Russia’s invasion to help provide internet service.

Vorontsov did not mention Musk’s Starlink satellite. The SpaceX CEO said earlier this month that Starlink satellites provide a “major battlefield advantage” to Ukraine.

Source: Reuters