Russia Warns US Non-Military Satellites Are “Legitimate Targets”

Russia has issued a new warning Thursday aimed at the United States at a moment Moscow-appointed officials appear to be retreating from tge southern city of Kherson as it comes under increased Ukrainian shelling. 

The Associated Press reports of the new Kremlin warning as follows, “Amid the battles, Russia issued a warning that the United States could be drawn into the conflict, adding it could target Western commercial satellites used for military purposes in support of Ukraine.”

The statement came from the deputy chief of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s arms control and nonproliferation department, Konstantin Vorontsov, who said “Quasi-civilian infrastructure could be a legitimate target for retaliation.”

Artist rendering, via Science Photo Library

It also comes soon on the heels of the question of potential Pentagon funding for Elon Musk’s Starlink systems, after SpaceX said it can’t be expected to foot the bill indefinitely.

Ukraine’s forces have called Starlink essential to its ability to repel the Russian advance, as it’s often used in frontline communications where no other comms links exist. 

According to The Moscow Times: 

Commercial satellites used by the United States to assist Ukraine in its war against Russia are “legitimate” targets for attacks, a Russian diplomat said Wednesday.

Private assets like Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet constellation, as well as Maxar and Planet Labs earth observation satellites, have proven critical in keeping Ukrainians online and piercing the fog of war.

This is not the first time the Kremlin suggested such a threat. Vorontsov had warned just last month that non-military satellites used by Ukraine “constitute indirect involvement in military conflicts” – hinting that they could eventually be targeted. 

Vorontsov didn’t mention Starlink by name in his new statement to the United Nations…

Vorontsov did not mention any specific satellite companies though Elon Musk said earlier this month that his rocket company SpaceX would continue to fund its Starlink internet service in Ukraine, citing the need for ‘good deeds’ https://t.co/9z4a3EewHZ pic.twitter.com/8y4GbIvsOo

— Reuters (@Reuters) October 27, 2022

Also on Thursday, Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova charged that Washington is pursuing “thoughtless and mad” escalation.

“The more the US is drawn into supporting the Kyiv regime on the battlefield, the more they risk provoking a direct military confrontation between the biggest nuclear powers fraught with catastrophic consequences,” said Zakharova.