USA worried: Russia has probably sent anti-satellite weapons into space

According to the US, Russia has sent a satellite into space that is probably a space weapon. The satellite can probably attack other satellites and is in low-Earth orbit, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said on Tuesday. The start took place on May 16th. The Russian satellite is now in the same orbit as a US government satellite, Ryder continued. Asked whether the Russian satellite posed a threat to the U.S. satellite, Ryder said, “Well, it’s a space defense weapon in the same orbit as a U.S. government satellite.” There were similar Russian launches in 2019 and 2022.

The American UN representative Robert Wood had previously expressed similar views to Ryder. On Monday, a Russian resolution against an arms race in space failed in the UN Security Council. Of 15 countries in New York, 7 voted for the resolution and 7 against it – one of the opposing votes came from the USA. In view of a US resolution against nuclear weapons in space that failed last month due to Russia’s veto, Wood spoke of a manipulative tactic by Moscow.

Russia doesn’t actually want to station nuclear weapons in space

In February, US reports about Russia’s nuclear ambitions in space caused a stir. The nuclear potential should be directed against satellites and could therefore pose a threat to national and international security, it was said. The US government then announced that Russia was developing military capabilities for use against satellites. US President Joe Biden said at the time that there was “no nuclear threat to the people of America or anywhere else in the world.” Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to the reports and said he was against stationing nuclear weapons in space.