Russia Is Accused Of Conducting A Weapons Test In Orbit By The US Space Force

The newly created United States Space Force has just accused Moscow of conducting space-based weapons tests in a stinging new rebuke. The move comes as foreign policy experts have expressed their fear that outer space could become yet another theater for war in the future.

“Space Command has evidence that Russia conducted a non-destructive test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon. On July 15, Russia injected a new object into orbit from Cosmos 2543,” the agency wrote in a statement on the Space Command website.

This marks the first time that the U.S. military has publicly called out the Russian Federation for conducting an extra-terrestrial weapons test.

However, the State Department had previously expressed concerns about Russia’s potential orbital weaponry dating as far back as 2018, after satellites from the Slavic nation did not follow their overt missions, appearing instead to behave more like instruments of battle than of data.

The new bulletin continued with a stark warning from General John W. “Jay” Raymond, Commander of Space Command and Space Force Chief of Space Operations.

Raymond claimed the missile launch was conducted on a Russian satellite system that the U.S. had previously opposed, as it was located close to an American satellite.

“This is further evidence of… continuing efforts to develop and test space-based systems, and consistent with the Kremlin’s published military doctrine to employ weapons that hold U.S. and allied space assets at risk,” he claimed.

Raymond added that both the United States and its allies are committed to stopping “hostile acts” in the extraterrestrial arena.

The general was not the only one who offered harsh condemnation in the statement.

Dr. Christopher Ford, the Assistant Secretary of State currently performing the duties of the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, also lambasted the Putin-led nation for the latest incident.

“This event highlights Russia’s hypocritical advocacy of outer space arms control, with which Moscow aims to restrict the capabilities of the United States while clearly having no intention of halting its own counterspace program,” he wrote in a stinging rebuke.

In a separate statement, the head of the U.K.’s Space Directorate also voiced his condemnation of the act, claiming that it threatened the “peaceful use of space,” as reported on Twitter.

The Russian Federation recently grabbed headlines as the U.S. 2020 Presidential Election nears. There are worries that the Eurasian nation will attempt to meddle with the voting process.

As was previously reported by The Inquisitr, former Vice President Joe Biden has claimed he has already started receiving intelligence briefings about the potential interference.