Konstantin Vorontsov, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s department for non-proliferation and arms control, said that components of the US civilian space infrastructure used for military operations in Ukraine are a legitimate target for Russian retaliatory strikes. He clarified that the use of US civilian satellites raises questions from the Russian Foreign Ministry.
“We are talking regarding the use by the United States and its allies of civilian infrastructure components in space, including commercial infrastructure, for military purposes … We point out that such activities, in fact, constitute indirect participation in armed conflicts. We denote that such a quasi-civilian space infrastructure may turn out to be a legitimate target for a retaliatory strike, ”said Konstantin Vorontsov (quoted by TASS).
The same thing was said in November 2022 by another representative of the Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry for non-proliferation and arms control, Vladimir Yermakov. Then he also said that the “quasi-civilian infrastructure” of the United States might become a legitimate target for retaliatory actions from Russia.
