Eight European countries, including Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, France and the Netherlands, filed an official complaint with the International Telecommunication Union (THAT) - organizations, which is subordinate to the UN. This complaint concerns systematic Russian interference in European satellite communications, which has been going on for over a year. I will 17 EU countries and Great Britain expressed their support for this appeal.
Системні збої в європейському супутниковому зв’язку
European satellite operators - France's Eutelsat and Luxembourg's SES - experience long-term work disruptions, which, according to the conclusions of the investigations, come from the occupied Crimea and the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation.
- The interference affects radio and television, as well as navigation systems in aviation.
- The largest incident occurred in the spring 2024 year, when Russian propaganda about the war was broadcast twice on the children's TV channel BabyTV in the Netherlands and other European countries.
- Disinformation stories also appeared on Ukrainian TV channels - this indicates a deliberate attack on the information space of Ukraine.
The purpose and consequences of the Russian intervention
According to satellite operators, Russia intervenes with a goal:
- Violation of Ukrainian television, which uses Eutelsat and SES satellite communications.
- Discrediting European information systems, creating chaos in the media space.
- Creation of aviation safety risks, because navigation systems partly depend on satellite communication.
Reaction of the international community
countries, who signed the complaint, demand that Russia immediately stop these actions. Simultaneously, an official response from the ITU has not yet been announced.
This case may become a precedent in the field of cyber security and information warfare, after all, systemic attacks on satellite communication are not only a violation of international law, but also a threat to the security of Europe's critical infrastructure.