Citing Starlink, which provides broadband access in Ukraine, a Russian diplomat said that civilian satellites could be legitimate military targets. The Russian official told the United Nations that civilian satellites “could become a legitimate target for retaliation.”
The excerpt comes from an unofficial English translation of the statement made by Konstantin Vorontsov, head of the Russian delegation of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) working group, on the UNODA meeting website on 12 September.
Vorontsov said: “We would like to highlight an extremely dangerous trend that goes beyond the harmless use of outer space technologies and has become evident during the events in Ukraine. Namely, the use of civilian elements in space, including commercial infrastructure, by the United States and its allies for military purposes. It turns out that our colleagues “They are unaware that such actions can cause military problems. The semi-civilian infrastructure can become a legitimate target for retaliation.”
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted broadband networks, SpaceX’s Starlink division sent satellite terminals to Ukraine, and the United States provided funding for the effort. Satellite internet access has been useful in Ukraine’s military operations against Russian forces.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk warned officials in March that Russia was “high” likely to attack Starlink equipment in Ukraine, although he referred to user terminals on the ground rather than satellites in space. A Russian cyberattack had succeeded in temporarily disrupting the satellite service provided by Viasat when the war began.
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