There is always a tendency to blame the big bad enemy de-jour for a loss of a war against some relatively minor enemy.
Thus it was Iranian EFP’s (made in Iraq) which were to blame for the defeat of U.S. forces in Iraq. It likewise was Soviet support that let the U.S. lose its pants in Vietnam.
Now it is Russia’s fault that Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure gets hit by Yemeni weapons.
That is at least what this shoddy AP piece implies:
Russian satellites help Iran’s allies strike Saudi Arabia, data and officials say – AP, Oct 27 2026
Iranian-backed militias carried out a precision strike last month, hitting the pumping stations of Saudi Arabia’s most important oil pipeline. Days later, another attack hit a Saudi military air base, damaging an Italian fighter jet inside a hangar.
Crucial to the strikes’ success was what was happening in the skies overhead: For days beforehand, a constellation of Russian spy satellites converged over the pipeline and the air base to gather intelligence.
Anyone even slightly versed in orbital mechanics will easily recognize that claim as bullshit.
For one: The pumping stations on Saudi Arabia’s pipelines, as well as its military air bases, are stationary targets.
There is zero need for current satellite pictures to identify their coordinates. Any map of the local areas will be sufficient. Whoever wants pictures of them can easily get them on Google Earth. Additionally there are about ten commercial satellite services which will, against a fee, deliver more detailed photography.
For two: Satellites ‘converging’ over some place on earth is not a thing.
Satellites in geostationary orbit are flying at a height of 36,000 kilometer (22,000 miles) above the earth. They always point to the same point on earth and are useful for weather observations and telecommunication services. But their distance is too large to make them useful for espionage.
The usual spy satellites are flying lower and are faster than the earth’s rotation. They circulate the earth in predictable timing patterns. Diverging from their once achieved orbit, which would cost all the little fuel they have on board, is a end-of-life one-time measure.
There are of course Russian satellites which regularly pass over the Middle East. As do Chinese, European, Indian, Iranian and U.S. satellites. But none of those will ever ‘converge’ over anything.
Why the AP editors gave this nonsense a pass is way beyond me. But a view on the sources might give some hint:
Cont. reading: Saudi Propaganda Satellites Converge Over AP‘s Office
