'Russia could attack satellites to invade Ukraine,' warns US National Reconnaissance Office Secretary

'Russia could launch an attack targeting satellites to disrupt communications and GPS to invade Ukraine,' said Christopher Scholes, Secretary of the

https://spacenews.com/nro-chief-warns-satellite-operators-to-secure-their-systems-as-ukraine-crisis-unfolds/

Russian military could target satellites in Ukraine conflict, NRO chief warns: report | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/warnings-russia-could-target-satellites-in-ukraine-conflict

At the Defense And Intelligence Space Conference hosted by NSSA on February 23, 2022, Secretary Skolls said, 'It is clear that Russia is selfish in Ukraine and that they want to win the conflict. 'I think the Russian government wants to push the conflict in Ukraine to the limits of their control, which means that it is reasonable to think that it could push the conflict into space.' He points out that the effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine may spread to artificial satellites floating in space.

NRO operates several reconnaissance satellites owned by the US government, and the images and data collected by these satellites are used in various commercial services. As a result, it is feared that disruption of the reconnaissance satellites operated by the US government will have multiple impacts on private and public assets.

Scholes did not mention what Russia would do, but said it was easy to guess based on past actions: 'For example, Russia has already interfered with GPS to satellites. We are doing it, 'he said, raising the possibility of GPS interference.

Secretary Skolls points out that not only government-operated artificial satellites but also civilian satellites can be targeted by Russia's attacks, saying, 'It is important that Russia is an effective cyber attacker. Know, keep your system safe, and monitor it carefully, 'warns satellite operators.

Russia not only interferes with GPS through electronic deception attacks, but can also use forged Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) data to trick American GPS users. Also, a complete GPS outage could disrupt all military operations, including aircraft, ships, munitions, land vehicles, and ground forces.

'In a lively military conflict, even short-term disruption or counterfeiting of PNT can make a big difference if timely with other operations,' said Rand Corporation, an American think tank. He points out that the attack can have a significant impact depending on the timing.