Russia Says Western Satellites Could Be Considered Legitimate Targets

Russia Says Western, Satellites Could Be Considered, Legitimate Targets .
On October 16, a Russian Foreign Ministry official
warned that Russia could shoot down Western
commercial satellites used to aid Ukraine's war efforts.
According to 'Newsweek', Russian state news agency Tass
originally reported that these Western satellites could
be considered legitimate targets for retaliatory strikes. .
Vladimir Ermakov, head of the Foreign Ministry's Department
for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, reportedly didn't
detail which companies' satellites would be targeted. .
'Newsweek' reports that Elon Musk's
SpaceX provided Starlink satellites to
provide Ukraine with internet service.
'The Wall Street Journal' reported that other American satellite
operators including Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs PBC
are contracted by U.S. national-security agencies.
We have consistently drawn
the attention of the international
community to this dangerous trend,
which goes beyond the harmless use
of space technology, clearly
manifested during the events in Ukraine, Vladimir Ermakov, Head of the Foreign Ministry's Department
for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, via 'Newsweek'.
Obviously, the United States and its
allies are not fully aware that such
activities actually constitute indirect
participation in armed conflicts, Vladimir Ermakov, Head of the Foreign Ministry's Department
for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, via 'Newsweek'.
'Newsweek' reports that the statement by Ermakov
echoes similar threats made by deputy director of
the Russian Foreign Ministry's Non-Proliferation
and Arms Control Department, Konstantin Vorontsov.
In October of 2022, Vorontsov said that "commercial,
infrastructure elements in outer space for military purposes"
by the West constitutes an "extremely dangerous trend.".
These States do not realize
that such actions in fact constitute
indirect participation in military conflicts.
Quasi-civilian infrastructure may become
a legitimate target for retaliation, Vladimir Ermakov, Head of the Foreign Ministry's Department
for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, via 'Newsweek'