'Malicious fabrication': Kremlin dismisses US warning about Russian nuclear capability in space

Russia on Thursday categorically rejected the US’ warning regarding alleged new Russian nuclear capabilities in space on Thursday, calling it as a “malicious fabrication” orchestrated by the White House to secure increased funding to counter Moscow. According to Reuters, citing a source briefed on the matter, the US has informed Congress and European allies about intelligence indicating Russian advancements in nuclear capabilities that could pose a global threat. However, the source clarified that these capabilities, particularly related to Russian efforts to develop space-based weapons, are not an immediate concern for the US. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refrained from commenting on the substance of the reports until further details are provided by the White House but asserted that Washington’s warning appears to be a ploy to secure additional funding from Congress. “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, this is obvious,” Reuters, citing TASS, quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying. “We’ll see what tricks the White House will use,” Peskov added. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Moscow’s point man on arms control, accused the United States of “malicious fabrication”, TASS reported. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - something Moscow calls a special military operation - 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 United States, by far the biggest nuclear powers, have both expressed regret about the steady disintegration of arms-control treaties which sought to slow the Cold War arms race and reduce the risk of nuclear war. The United States casts China as its biggest competitor and Russia as its biggest nation-state threat, while U.S. President Joe Biden argues that this century will be defined by an existential contest between democracies and autocracies. Russia says the post-Cold War dominance of the United States is crumbling and that Washington has for years sown chaos across the planet while ignoring the interests of other powers. With inputs from agencies