Kremlin dismisses ‘malicious’ US warning about Russian nuclear capability in space

Russia yesterday dismissed a warning by the US about new Russian nuclear capabilities in space, calling it a “malicious fabrication” and a trick by the White House aimed at getting US legislators to approve more money to counter Moscow.

The US has told Congress and allies in Europe about new intelligence related to Russian nuclear capabilities that could pose an international threat, a source briefed on the matter said on Wednesday.

The new capabilities, related to Russian attempts to develop a space-based weapon, do not pose an urgent threat to the US, the source said.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he would not comment on the substance of the reports until details were unveiled by the White House. But he said Washington’s warning was clearly an attempt to get Congress to approve more money.

“It is obvious that the White House is trying, by hook or by crook, to encourage Congress to vote on a bill to allocate money,” Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS news agency.

“We’ll see what tricks the White House will use.”

Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, Moscow’s point man on arms control, accused the US of “malicious fabrication”, TASS reported.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered the biggest confrontation between the West and Russia since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Both Moscow and Washington have warned of the risk of a conflict between Nato and Russia.

Russia and the US are by far the biggest nuclear powers: together their arsenals hold about 90% of the world’s nuclear weapons, and both have advanced military satellites orbiting the earth.

The US casts Russia and

China as its biggest nationstate competitors, and Washington says both Moscow and Beijing are developing a range of new weapons systems, including nuclear, cyber and space capabilities.

Russia says the post-Cold War dominance of the US is crumbling and that Washington has sowed chaos across the planet while ignoring the interests of other powers. Moscow says the US too is developing a host of new weapons.

In the early years of the Cold War, after Russia leapt ahead in the space race and both sides developed intercontinental ballistic missiles, the West proposed a treaty to outlaw nuclear weapons in space.

The eventual result was the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

In recent years, disagreements between Moscow and Washington have eroded the framework of arms control treaties that sought to reduce the risk of nuclear war.

The New York Times and ABC News reported earlier that the new US intelligence was related to Russian attempts to develop a space-based anti-satellite nuclear weapon.