Moscow threatens Star Wars against Western civilian satellites, target Starlink

Russia Threatens to Attack Western Civilian Satellites Used to Support Ukraine Starlink was not mentioned but would be one of the possible targets.

Hybrid warfare is not limited to land and cyber warfare. It can also take place in space. On Thursday, Konstantin Vorontsov, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official, issued a threat against Western satellites used to provide communications or intelligence to Ukrainians.

For this senior official, the aid is a provocation and believes that if these infrastructures are “civilian”, then “they could be a legitimate target for retaliatory strikes”.

“We are talking about elements of the civil space infrastructure of the United States and its allies, especially commercial ones, engaging in armed conflicts. These states do not realize that such actions actually constitute implicit participation in armed conflicts,” Konstantin said. Vorontsov.

The threat prompted a reaction from Washington. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby promises Russia an “appropriate” response to Russian attacks on U.S. commercial satellites.

Was Starlink targeted?

Konstantin Vorontsov does not cite any specific company, Starlink (SpaceX), or the space imaging companies used by UNESCO to monitor the destruction of cultural property and heritage. But Starlink will be the main target. For months, SpaceX chief Elon Musk has feared a Russian attack on the constellation of 20,000 Starlink satellites sent to Ukraine to ensure communications.

“Russia wants Starling’s skin. To protect itself, Starlink is investing a lot in security measures. But even with that, Starlink will disappear,” said Elon Musk. CNN Asking the Pentagon for help.

SpaceX assistance was provided to Kyiv after a Russian cyber attack against the KA-Sat satellite network operated by Viasat on February 24. His offensive against Ukraine. The space attack was condemned by the European Union on May 10.

“This cyber attack occurred one hour before Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified aggression on February 24, 2022, thereby facilitating military aggression,” the European Union said in a statement on behalf of the 27 member states.

The space attack caused disruptions in communications affecting the entire country, public services, businesses and users in Ukraine. It also affected EU member states.

Russian cyber attacks

If this cyber attack is the first, it is not the first time Russia has demonstrated its ability to wage war in space. In November 2021, a year ago, Russia launched a missile against Tselina-D, a satellite that has been in orbit since 1982 and has been inactive for years. The explosion created a debris cloud that could hit the ISS orbital station or one of the civilian or military satellites in orbit.

Another operation, this time espionage, was carried out against Russia in 2017 Athena-Fidus, A Franco-Italian satellite specializing in secure military communications. Moscow launched a spy satellite Loch-Olymp In an attempt to intercept communications.

“Star Wars is something realized (…) so we are preparing to maintain our strategic assets in space,” the Ministry of Defense told BFM Business at the time.