Russia Threatens to Shoot Down Civilian Satellites Used by Western Military

MOSCOW – Russian diplomat Konstantin Vorontsov warned the United States (US) and its allies are exposing civilian space assets to potential attacks by using them for military purposes.

The warning comes after NATO unveiled plans for a space surveillance fleet that will use commercial and military satellites for its missions.

Konstantin Vorontsov is deputy director of the directorate of non-proliferation and arms control at the Russian Foreign Ministry.

He said Thursday (16/2/2023) that the US is weaponizing space and blurring the lines between military and civilian infrastructure in orbit.

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He explained that America’s use of spacecraft to benefit other nations on the battlefield “is actually a form of participation in (the conflict) by proxy.”

Vorontsov added, “Semi-civilian space infrastructure in particular could face retaliation.”

“At the very least, such provocative use of civilian satellites is questionable under the Outer Space Treaty (1967),” he said.

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