Statement by First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy at an informal UNSC Arria-Formula Meeting on Risks and Challenges Emanating from Uncontrolled Use of Low Earth Orbit Satellites
Main statement:
Dear colleagues,
Welcome to the UNSC Arria-formula meeting on risks and challenges emanating from uncontrolled use of low Earth orbit satellite Internet communications systems (LEO satellites).
The rapid spread of information and communication technologies (ICT) has opened up new opportunities for member States in terms of development. The latest digital solutions have made it possible today to increase productivity, boost economic growth, streamline resource efficiency, and expand accessibility of vital services. States are striving to ensure maximum Internet coverage across their national territories for the sake development. However, not all countries have the resources to implement such large-scale infrastructure projects.
As statistics suggest, in the countries of the Global North, the level of connectivity to the Internet reaches 93%, while in the least developed countries it is as low as 23%. More than 2.2 billion people have no access to the Internet whatsoever.
In these conditions, the use of LEO satellites is seen by many as the optimal solution that does not require significant costs compared, for example, to laying fiber optic cables in hard-to-reach and remote areas. However, as practice shows, the use of LEO satellites – as well as the use of other advanced technological solutions such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, etc. – is fraught with serious risks.
Today, LEO satellites have become a tool for exerting political pressure, interfering in domestic affairs of sovereign States, and undermining the constitutional order, which is in breach of the principles of international law and the UN Charter. Basically, this is an attempt to test a new model of provoking internal political instability and ousting governments that are seen by some as “pariah” as they do not fit into the so-called rules-based world order.
Between 2022 and 2025, there have been numerous cases of misuse of the US Starlink system, which has been operating despite the bans from national regulators in a number of countries. A telling example here is what happened in Iran in the fall of 2022, when organizers of anti-government protests coordinated their activities through using illegally imported subscriber terminals.
Iran filed a complaint with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) regarding this matter. And the 94th meeting of the ITU Radio Regulations Committee (October 23-27, 2023) ruled that the import of Starlink subscriber terminals to Iran was unauthorized. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Norwegian Communications Authority, which are responsible for managing radio waves used by Starlink, were requested to immediately disable relevant equipment on the territory of Iran. In essence, this is the first time this problem has been formally acknowledged at the international level.
This year, the situation repeated itself: in June, due to escalation in the region, Iran blocked Internet access on its territory to uphold national security; this was followed by the activation of around 20,000 to 30,000 terminals, which had been delivered to the country illegally in advance. The activation of the equipment appeared to be sanctioned by the management of SpaceX Corporation (the developer of Starlink), which is a clear violation of State sovereignty by a private corporation.
In the absence of international regulation, Starlink is also actively being used in other countries. In 2024, during the presidential elections in Venezuela, about 5,000 Starlink terminals, illegally imported into the country, were used to disseminate disinformation and smear one of the candidates. This gives grounds to speak of attempts to influence the outcome of elections from outside.
In a number of cases, the leadership of SpaceX, hiding behind the alleged protection of “freedom of expression,” has prevented the blocking of harmful information requested by national regulators. Such irresponsible actions by the company affected at least ten countries. Representatives of some of these countries are present at our meeting today and, I hope, they will take the floor.
Significant risks also emanate from enabling direct satellite signal transmission to mobile devices. Developing this technology is likely to facilitate the evasion of legal restrictions imposed by sovereign States to ensure their national security.
LEO satellites are also being widely used for military purposes. SpaceX works closely with the armed forces of various countries. Since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, several thousand subscriber terminals have been brought to the territory controlled by the Ukrainian army. Starlink has essentially become part and parcel of Ukraine's state system and its military command, which has been introduced through direct financial support from the Pentagon. The Ukrainian troops harnessed this technology as the main means of communication between units, and used it to adjust artillery fire, to operate unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned boats targeting both military and civilian objects.
The problem of using Starlink for criminal purposes is becoming increasingly pressing as well. In 2024, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) published a report which provided information about the use of this system by criminal organizations based in different countries of Southeast Asia, which were engaged in online fraud on the international level. Furthermore, there is ample evidence in the media and on social networks that Starlink is being used by affiliates of such terrorist organizations as Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram, as well as in the Sahel.
Russia intends to continue informing the international community about the risks and threats associated with the unauthorized use of Starlink-powered LEO satellites, which require an adequate response. Thus, we have introduced the draft UN General Assembly resolution “Space science and technology for promoting peace,” which calls for coordinated action to address this issue. The text focuses on the importance of exclusively peaceful exploration of outer space with the view to successfully implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, providing non-discriminatory access to orbit for all States, and ensuring unconditional compliance with the norms and principles of international space law, with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty being a key element thereof. The draft also includes provisions on the inadmissibility of the misuse of LEO satellites, including for military-technical purposes.
We count on UN Member States supporting these and other efforts. Our goal is to develop a common understanding at the international level that the unauthorized use of such technologies is unacceptable, and that it is crucial to find ways of reducing risks to the long-term efficiency and security of space activities, including with the view to ensuring the possible parallel functioning of LEO satellites and establishing a global space traffic management architecture in the future, while fully respecting the right of any State to the peaceful exploration of outer space. We are ready for cooperation within the UN, including within the General Assembly and in the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and its subcommittees. We will seek the adoption by the ITU of measures to control the use of LEO satellites.
To add substance to our discussion of the risks and challenges associated with the use of such Internet systems for UN member states, we have invited subject-matter experts to brief us.
Concluding statement:
To conclude, I would like to note that we had the opportunity today to see that the spread of LEO satellites not only attests to continued scientific and technological progress and a new level of digital service, but is also fraught with serious risks and threats to UN member States and their citizens. We stand convinced that the use of such technological means, as well as the activities of the developers and operators thereof, must be carried out within the legal framework and in compliance with the regulations of all jurisdictions without exception. We are ready for substantive cooperation to attain this goal.
Thank you all for your attention and participation.
Right of reply (to the US representative):
Has the US Department of State approved your statement indeed? It seems that your clock is about a year slow.
By the way, if you really want to help us end the “war with Ukraine,” as you put it, then it is stopping the destructive actions of Starlink that would be genuinely of great help. Please, make a note of that.
Thank you.
