U.S. Sanctions Chinese Firm Supplying Satellite Images To Wagner Group

The US has sanctioned a Chinese company for allegedly providing satellite imagery of Ukraine to support the mercenary Wagner Group's combat operations for Russia, Kelly Ng reported for BBC News.

Photo Insert: Spacety China provided Terra Tech, a Russia-based technology firm, with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite images of locations in Ukraine.

Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute is among 16 entities slapped with curbs by the Treasury Department. The firm, also known as Spacety China, has offices in Beijing and Luxembourg.

Wagner supplies Russia with thousands of fighters in the Ukraine war.

Spacety China provided Terra Tech, a Russia-based technology firm, with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite images of locations in Ukraine, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said.

"These images were gathered in order to enable Wagner combat operations in Ukraine," it said. The department has also sanctioned Spacety's Luxembourg-based subsidiary.

Under the sanctions, there can be no transfer, payment, or export of any property or interests in the US to the targeted entities.

China, a close ally of Russia, has attempted to position itself as a neutral party with regard to the Ukraine war. It has been criticized by the US and its allies for refusing to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

On its website, Spacety China describes itself as a "pioneer" in providing commercial SAR technology and says it wants to "make SAR imagery of every point on earth accessible and affordable" to users all over the world. SAR is a type of radar technology that can deliver higher-resolution images using shorter antennae.

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