Accusation from the USA

Moscow alleged to have sent a space weapon into space

Launch of a Soyuz rocket in the Amur region in Russia (symbolic image)(Bild: AFP)

According to the USA, Russia has sent a satellite into space that is probably a space weapon. The satellite could presumably attack other satellites and was in a low-Earth orbit, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said on Tuesday. The launch took place on May 16. The Russian satellite is now in the same orbit as a US government satellite, Ryder added.

When asked whether the Russian satellite posed a threat to the US satellite, Ryder said: "Well, yes, it's a space defense weapon in the same orbit as a US government satellite." Similar Russian launches had already taken place in 2019 and 2022.

UN detects manipulative tactics by Moscow
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. Out of 15 countries, seven voted in favor of the draft resolution in New York and seven against - one of the votes against 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.

Biden suspected "no nuclear threat"
In February, US reports about Russia's nuclear ambitions in space caused a stir. The nuclear potential was said to be directed against satellites and could therefore pose a threat to national and international security. The US government then declared 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 reacted to the reports and said that Russia was against the deployment of nuclear weapons in space.