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Russia says European satellites aiding Ukraine are legitimate targets for signal jamming

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Russia says European satellites aiding Ukraine are legitimate targets for signal jamming
Stock image of military satellite systems. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Maksim Safaniuk/Getty Images)

European commercial satellites that Russia believes are aiding Ukraine are a legitimate target for signal jamming, Russia has told international regulators.

Russia's Digital Development and Communications Ministry informed the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Radio Regulations Board (RRB) that Moscow will target commercial and broadcast satellites it believes aid Ukraine's military, Space Intel Report wrote on July 16.

In March, eight European countries filed a complaint with the U.N. over Russia’s interference with the continent's satellite communications. Seventeen other EU countries and the U.K. expressed support for the initiative, which urges Russia to stop its alleged sabotage.

The complaint has been signed by Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Finland, France, and the Netherlands.

In a document submitted to international regulators, Russia claims it will not disrupt non-military satellite use and target infrastructure that aids Ukraine's military.

Last year, disruptions targeted Europe’s main satellite providers, including Eutelsat and SES, which provide television, radio, and aviation navigation systems.

Russian war propaganda has appeared on the children's channel, BabyTV, in the Netherlands and other European countries. Similar disruptions affected television programming in Ukraine.

In 2024, Eutelsat and SES traced interference to Russian-controlled areas, namely occupied Crimea and Kaliningrad.

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Volodymyr Ivanyshyn

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Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.

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