MOSCOW, December 29. /TASS/. The United States and its NATO allies are testing an innovative command and control system in Ukraine, using civilian satellites to furnish support for Kiev’s forces in combat, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on Thursday.

"[We] actively used the opportunities of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space to draw the attention of the international community to a new trend that has developed in the light of the special military operation in Ukraine. The United States and, by the way, its NATO allies, use civilian commercial satellites and related ground infrastructure for combat support for Ukraine’s armed forces," she said.

As the diplomat recalled, the fundamental treaty on outer space of 1967 provides for the use of near-Earth space exclusively for peaceful purposes.

"In the context of a real armed conflict in Ukraine Washington is testing an innovative command and control system based on quasi-civilian space technologies. Its use is possible anywhere in the world, and most states are simply unable to counter such an approach," she said.

Zakharova noted that this jeopardized the most important social and economic processes dependent on orbital technologies. In this regard, she pointed to the growing concern over what was happening among the developing countries, including BRICS partners.