A senior Russian foreign ministry official said that commercial satellites from the United States and its allies could become legitimate targets for Russia if they were involved in the war in Ukraine.
Russia, which in 1957 launched Sputnik 1, the first manmade satellite, into space and in 1961 put the first man in outer space, has a significant offensive space capability - as do the United States and China.
In 2021, Russia launched an anti-satellite missile to destroy one of its own satellites.
Russia against the use of satellites to aid Ukraine.
Vorontsov, reading from notes, said the use of Western satellites to aid the Ukrainian war effort was "an extremely dangerous trend.".
A satellite image shows Russian forces deployed in the western outskirts of Belgorod, Russia February 24, 2022.
"Quasi-civilian infrastructure may be a legitimate target for a retaliatory strike," Vorontsov told the United Nations First Committee, adding that the West's use of such satellites to support Ukraine was "provocative.". »
