MOSCOW, May 4. /TASS/. The first military satellite launched by Sweden could be used by Kiev for sabotage and terrorist attacks in northwestern Russia, Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) told TASS.
"The satellite program is aimed at creating duplicate European orbital capabilities, primarily reconnaissance, to provide information support for potential future actions in the Russian direction. For the United States, this solves the task of disaffiliation, ensuring the security of its own constellation, and creating additional opportunities through European proxies to obtain situational information, prioritize targets, and utilize this information in the interests of the Kiev regime within the framework of the already established cooperation between Stockholm and Kiev. These satellite capabilities will now be used, among other things, for sabotage and terrorist attacks in the northwest," Stepanov said.
He added that Sweden will likely develop the satellite constellation as part of creating duplicate European military space capabilities. However, European countries themselves are not yet capable of launching satellites into orbit independently and are dependent on the United States in this regard.
On May 3, it was reported that Sweden launched its first military satellite into orbit, which, among other tasks, will be used to monitor Russia. The country plans to launch 10 satellites in total. The satellite was launched from the US Vandenberg Space Force Base (California). It will reach the appropriate orbit in about a month.