Russia sees air and space as one coherent aerospace sphere. That is why the air force, air and missile defence and the Space Troops have been combined since 2015 in the VKS (Aerospace Forces). The idea: a Western attack would be carried by satellites (navigation, reconnaissance, communications) and by missiles and aircraft — and they must be countered together.
- Aim: neutralise the Western advantage in space, above all by being able to jam, blind or disable satellites.
- Deterrence: show that Russia can threaten Western satellites (such as the 2021 Nudol test).
- Commercial satellites: in October 2022 a Russian diplomat at the UN said that commercial satellites supporting Western armed forces or Ukraine could become a "legitimate target" for retaliation.
More about the VKS as a whole is in the AirDefense Academy.