The Russian Federation is using cooperation with Western countries in the field of space research in order to source high-tech components for lethal missiles for the Russian Military according to reliable sources from the intelligence community.
“Since the beginning of the Russian aggression, the RF Armed Forces have launched hundreds of missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine, in particular on civilian targets and critical infrastructure. The strikes are delivered from large distances from the territory of Russia and Belarus using the Iskander-M, Iskander-K, Caliber, Kh-101 complexes, including the Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.”
“The study of missiles of the corresponding complexes shot down by Ukrainian air defence systems showed that a significant part of the components of these missiles are produced in the United States and Germany and exported to Russia, allegedly for peaceful space exploration. Roskosmos is officially the end-user of these components,” according to the source.
Being under sanctions on the export of technology to Russia, the Russian special services, together with Dmytro Rogozin, the head of the state corporation Roskosmos, are conducting a special operation in the West, in particular in the United States, to circumvent sanctions rules on the pretext of a requirement to continue safe cooperation in space. The purpose of the operation is to resume the supply of technological products to the Russian Federation for their further use in the production and repair of missile weapons in the war against Ukraine.
“As part of a special operation, the Russian intelligence services, using agents of influence in Western space agencies, are trying to convince governments that the sanctions imposed on Roskomos are an obstacle to international space cooperation and may even lead to the International Space Station crash-landing. At the same time, attempts are being made to arrange the purchase of the element base for the production of Russian missile weapons through third countries,” the source explained.
Iskander Missiles
On 14 March, the head of the Russian state corporation Roskosmos, Dmytro Rogozin, sent a letter to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), about the negative impact of sanctions on safe space cooperation, in particular, on the functioning of the International Space Station (ISS).
NASA provided an official response, saying that the sanctions applied still allow continued cooperation to ensure the continued safe operation of the ISS.
“To this end, NASA will continue to work with the relevant federal departments and US agencies, facilitating further cooperation and operation of the ISS, including any necessary cooperation within the framework of the ISS work with Russia’s JSC Central Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering and the Progress Rocket Space Center JSC,” NASA reported.
Representatives of the Ukrainian special services are concerned about the current situation and wish to propose the introduction of a complete ban for Western countries from any form of cooperation with Roskomsos, as well as increasing the responsibility of third countries for the supply of technologies to Russia, including dual-use technologies.
Also, representatives of the Ukrainian special services said that they consider it necessary to impose Western sanctions against the Russian Roskosmos state corporation and personal sanctions against Dmytro Rogozin for using dual-use technologies for military purposes, the end user of which was supposed to be Roskosmos.
