Support The Moscow Times!

Russia Accuses 'Aggressive' U.S. of Starting Arms Race in Space

Russia condemned a new strategy document for space that the Pentagon unveiled Wednesday. Yuri Smityuk / TASS

Russia on Friday said the new space strategy unveiled by the U.S. this week was "aggressive," accusing Washington of seeing space as a place to wage war. 

"The document confirms the agressive course by Washington in the space sphere," Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Space is seen by the U.S. side as an arena for warfare," it said, calling this a "destructive" approach which "provokes an arms race in space."

"Russia holds the diametrically opposing position, giving priority to using and studying space only for peaceful goals," it said.

Unveiled by the Pentagon on Wednesday, the strategy document was the first since President Donald Trump announced the creation of the new Space Force military arm in December.

The Pentagon strategy stressed that the U.S. would strive to maintain superiority in space, in particular protecting GPS satellites on which the military as well as the emergency services, transport and even financial services depend.

"China and Russia present the greatest strategic threat due to their development, testing and deployment of counterspace capabilities," it said, claiming that Moscow and Beijing are developing tools for jamming and cyberattacks that directly threaten U.S. satellites.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more