Since Russia has continued its bombing raids against Ukrainian infrastructure, a senior Russian state official suggested that Moscow might destroy commercial Western satellites that are used to aid Ukraine's military effort.
Since Russia has continued its bombing raids against Ukrainian infrastructure, a senior Russian state official suggested that Moscow might destroy commercial Western satellites that are used to aid Ukraine's military effort.
If this action were to be carried out, the threat would undoubtedly voice issues about a further intensification of the ongoing war and the possibility of a heated confrontation between Russia and the West.
A senior Russian foreign ministry official, Konstantin Vorontsov, called the use of US satellites to assist the Ukrainian war effort an 'extremely dangerous trend.'
'Quasi-civilian infrastructure may be a legitimate target for retaliatory strikes,' he told the UN First Committee, adding that perhaps the West's deployment of such satellites to aid Ukraine was 'provocative.'
'We are talking about the involvement of components of civilian space infrastructure, including commercial, by the United States and its allies in armed conflicts,' said Vorontsov.
Vorontsov didn't name any specific satellite companies, but Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, stated earlier this month that his company would continue to support its Starlink internet service in Ukraine, invoking the need for 'good deeds.'
Russia, as well as the United States and China, have a highly offensive space capability. Russia unleashed an anti-satellite missile last year in order to destroy one of its own satellites during an anti-satellite test.
As for Ukraine's ground operation in the southern Kherson region slowed for the past couple of days due to rough terrain and weather, Kyiv said that Russia was pushing ahead with a campaign to annihilate vital infrastructure ahead of the winter.
Ukrainian officials had also stated that the campaign was designed to break people's will to keep fighting by slowly taking away basic necessities such as electricity and heat, a tactic they believe will fail.
Russia has enhanced its attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure in previous weeks, using air raids, missile attacks, and Iran - backed drones, leaving millions of Ukrainian civilians without basic necessities for extended periods of time.
In a late-night address to the country on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that he had met with fellow officials to talk about the current energy crisis.
'In many cities and regions of Ukraine, emergency blackouts happen and power consumption has to be limited,' he said. 'But we all have to remember one thing: we need victory over Russia in the energy sphere as well.'