The tests of the Russian satellite, conducted by the Defense Ministry in mid-July, posed no threat to other space objects and did not violate the international law, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday, expressing the belief that Western claims about the alleged test of anti-satellite weapons were an attempt to discredit Russia's space activities
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th July, 2020) The tests of the Russian satellite, conducted by the Defense Ministry in mid-July, posed no threat to other space objects and did not violate the international law, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday, expressing the belief that Western claims about the alleged test of anti-satellite weapons were an attempt to discredit Russia's space activities.
"The tests that the Russian Defense Ministry conducted on July 15 did not pose any threat to other space objects and, most importantly, did not violate any norms and principles of the international law. According to our military agency, Russia's inspector satellite conducted an inspection of a Russian space object ... Valuable information was obtained regarding the technical condition of the inspected object and it was passed to ground control facilities," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that it saw US and UK officials' comments on the matter as "part of the Washington-initiated information campaign aimed at discrediting Russia's space activities and peaceful initiatives for preventing an arms race in space."
Washington and London are trying to deflect the public attention from their own deployment of weapons in space, the Russian Foreign Ministry added, calling on US and UK colleagues to engage in negotiations.
"We confirm readiness to discuss the space activities problematic, with participation of interested agencies and organizations," the statement read on.
