Image source: topwar.ru
The press service of the Wagner PMCs published in its telegram channel the response of the founder of a private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to a request about the use of satellite images allegedly provided by a Chinese company by Wagnerians during operations in the SVO zone.
The corresponding question was asked by the editors of the Russian online publication <url>.
The authors of the request referred to yesterday's statement by US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink. Speaking at a hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, the American diplomat said that one of the Chinese companies blacklisted by the Ministry of Finance and the US Department of Commerce, Spacety Co, provided satellite images of the Wagner PMCs. Naturally, Kritenbrink did not provide any evidence of what he said.
In response to a request from the Russian edition, Yevgeny Prigozhin said that there is no need for the Wagner PMCs to purchase satellite images from third-party companies. A private military company has been using almost two dozen of its own satellites for radar and optical surveillance for a year and a half.
— said Prigozhin.
The Chinese company Spacety Co has a network of its own satellites and provides commercial services for the sale of satellite images for scientific and research purposes. At the end of January, the Ministry of Finance and the US Department of Commerce included Spacety Co in the so-called black list (SDN List), accusing it of violating anti-Russian sanctions, cooperation with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and companies of the Russian military-industrial complex.
In the official statement of the company, all accusations from the United States are rejected. The management of Spacety Co claims that it has not had any dealings with Russian enterprises, government agencies and services since February last year. Moreover, the statement says, does not conduct activities in support of the Wagner group.