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Russia-Ukraine War - News and Developments

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U.S. general: Starlink in Ukraine showing what megaconstellations can do​


Dickinson: A proliferated architecture can provide 'redundancy and capability'

U.S. Space Command has been impressed by SpaceX’s ability to provide internet access in war-torn parts of Ukraine, the head of the command told lawmakers March 8.

“What we’re seeing with Elon Musk and the Starlink capabilities is really showing us what a megaconstellation or a proliferated architecture can provide in terms of redundancy and capability,” Gen. James Dickinson, commander of U.S. Space Command, said during a hearing the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Dickinson’s comments were in response to questions from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who noted that Starlink’s ability to deliver communications from space over Ukraine is “positive news” and also an example of “private actors in space entering into contested environments.”

“Russia has been trying to jam the signals and block coverage, and that’s made me wonder,” Kaine said. He asked Dickinson if there is a “legal framework” for U.S. commercial space companies that become involved in contested situations.

“We do look at that, senator,” said Dickinson. “We work very closely in our commercial integration cell on that very issue.”

The commercial integration cell, or CIC, is a group of 10 commercial satellite operators that work side-by-side with U.S. Space Command at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. U.S. Strategic Command originally created the CIC to share intelligence about threats in space and other issues of concern given the military’s dependence on commercial space services.

The CIC includes Intelsat, SES Government Solutions, Inmarsat, Eutelsat, Maxar, Viasat, XTAR, SpaceX, Iridium Communications and Hughes Network Systems.

Starlink, with nearly 2,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, is by far the world’s largest commercial satellite constellation. SpaceX has permission to launch 12,000 satellites and is seeking approval to deploy 30,000 more.

SpaceX’s president Gwynne Shotwell said March 7 that the company had been working for weeks to secure approval for Starlink services in Ukraine before a government minister tweeted a request to Elon Musk.


Elon Musk videoconferencing with Ukrainian President despite jamming attempts.

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I can’t tell if we’ve just grossly overestimated Russian capabilities or the US is royally screwing with Russian targeting capability. This is not the first time this has happened. It also occurred with their Iskanders
Yeah America also has a secret brain chip in all Russian generals and Putin directing them to make all these mistakes 🤡
 
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People here acting like Russians can't make their own Burgers, soda or movies.

Or find a way around it.

This is where it gets LEGALLY dicey.

Convention (V) respecting the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers and Persons in Case of War on Land. The Hague, 18 October 1907.

CHAPTER I​
THE RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF NEUTRAL POWERS​
Article 1. The territory of neutral Powers is inviolable.
Art. 2. Belligerents are forbidden to move troops or convoys of either munitions of war or supplies across the territory of a neutral Power.​
Art. 3. Belligerents are likewise forbidden to:​
(a) Erect on the territory of a neutral Power a wireless telegraphy station or other apparatus forthe purpose of communicating with belligerent forces on land or sea;​
(b) Use any installation of this kind established by them before the war on the territory of a neutral Power for purely military purposes, and which has not been opened for the service of public messages.​
Art. 4. Corps of combatants cannot be formed nor recruiting agencies opened on the territory of a neutral Power to assist the belligerents.​
Art. 5. A neutral Power must not allow any of the acts referred to in Articles 2 to 4 to occur on its territory. It is not called upon to punish acts in violation of its neutrality unless the said acts have been committed on its own territory.​
Art. 6. The responsibility of a neutral Power is not engaged by the fact of persons crossing the frontier separately to offer their services to one of the belligerents.
Art. 7. A neutral Power is not called upon to prevent the export or transport, on behalf of one or other of the belligerents, of arms, munitions of war, or, in general, of anything which can be of use to an army or a fleet.
Art. 8. A neutral Power is not called upon to forbid or restrict the use on behalf of the belligerents of telegraph or telephone cables or of wireless telegraphy apparatus belonging to it or to companies or private individuals.​
Art. 9. Every measure of restriction or prohibition taken by a neutral Power in regard to the matters referred to in Articles 7 and 8 must be impartially applied by it to both belligerents. A neutral Power must see to the same obligation being observed by companies or private individuals owning telegraph or telephone cables or wireless telegraphy apparatus.​
Art. 10. The fact of a neutral Power resisting, even by force, attempts to violate its neutrality cannot be regarded as a hostile act.​
Art. 6. If Ukrainian pilots go to any other country to pick up arms, that is allowed. Article 1 remains valid.

Art. 7. Here is where it gets legally questionable. Who is doing the transport?

If I am moving arms for a belligerent thru the neutral power's territory, I am only passing thru PEACEFULLY. The neutral power have no legal obligation to stop me. Article 1 remains valid.

But it is Poland who is moving arms, the MIGs. Not just anyone's but POLAND'S OWN MIGS, putting Poland close to being a co-belligerent, aka ally of Ukraine. Article 1 is now at risk.

I think this is why Poland proposed Germany so that articles 6 and 7 will apply to Germany. The problem now is the US with the objection from the Pentagon because the proposal involves Ramstein, a military installation that hosts the USAF. An alternate solution is to use a German civilian airport and cordoned off an area to make the jet transfer.
Meanwhile America can invade Hague if it tries to sue US troops
 
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Yes, remember one of them was in Wuhan, China...but the Chinese won't admit they accidentally let it out.

In a letter to Rep. James Comer, ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, an NIH official admits that a “limited experiment” was conducted in order to test if “spike proteins from naturally occurring bat coronaviruses circulating in China were capable of binding to the human ace2 receptor in a mouse model.”
Chinese are basically stating, Don’t blame us when we start stockpiling Bioweapons.
 
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Soviet Union provided SAMs and fighter jets to North Vietnam govt, while the US supported the South Vietnam. So both powers were propping up different entities in Vietnam; however, the conflict wasn't an existential threat to either US or Soviet Union. Russia views the NATO involvement in Ukraine as an existential threat. Therefore, any escalation from NATO side in Russia - Ukraine conflict has the potential of triggering an Armageddon.
Russia can view it as an existential threat but having a puppet installed next to Poland might as view as an existential threat to NATO considering Belarus joined the invasion. Poland next? The Baltics? They are next to Russia or Belarus.
 
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