Eight European countries, including Ukraine, have filed a complaint with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under the UN, accusing Russia of ongoing interference with European satellite communications, according to NOS.
The complaint, signed by Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Finland, France, and the Netherlands, was submitted to the ITU, the leading international body for satellite communication. Seventeen other EU member states and the UK have expressed support for the complaint. The countries are demanding that Russia halt its disruptive actions against satellite communications.
For over a year, several European nations have experienced disruptions in satellite communications from two major providers, Eutelsat and SES. These satellites are crucial for radio and television broadcasting, as well as aviation navigation.
One significant disruption occurred last spring when Russian war propaganda was broadcast on the BabyTV channel in the Netherlands and other European countries. During the same period, Ukrainian TV channels also aired propaganda footage multiple times, UkrInform reports.
In response, Eutelsat (based in France) and SES (from Sweden and Luxembourg) investigated the disruptions and determined that the interference was originating from Russian-occupied Crimea and Kaliningrad Oblast.
The primary goal of these disruptions was, among other things, to undermine Ukrainian television broadcasts that were relying on the satellite communications of both companies.
Earlier, Eutelsat announced it was engaged in negotiations with European governments to provide additional satellite connectivity to Ukraine amid the uncertainty that surrounded Elon Musk’s Starlink access.
The company also noted that discussions are focusing on utilizing a combination of its satellite constellations — OneWeb at around 1,200 km above Earth and Geo satellites at 35,000 km — to enhance satellite connectivity in Ukraine and the Black Sea region.
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