According to ABC News, a Russian satellite has been acting strangely, leading one U.S. official to indicate it may be a weapon.
The satellite, launched in October 2017, has displayed behavior "inconsistent with anything seen before from" the kind of satellite Russia has said it is, according to Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance Yleem D.S. Poblete.
Instead, without saying it outright, Poblete implied that the object could be a weapon, but said the U.S. cannot know for sure.
"We don't know for certain what it is, and there is no way to verify it," Poblete said yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland, at the Conference on Disarmament. Poblete was speaking before the international body for negotiating arms control to express the U.S.'s "serious concerns" about Russia's push to launch weapons in space, especially anti-satellite weapons that can target satellites that the U.S. relies on for business, scientific and military purposes.
Poblete cited recent comments from several top Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, about the development of weapons in space and Putin unveiling a mobile laser system in March that could shoot down satellites.
"The Russian pursuit of counterspace capabilities is consistent with these other activities and is disturbing given the recent pattern of Russian malign behavior," she said.
Russia says the satellite is not a weapon but also has a track record of lying.
The top U.S. diplomat for arms control also warned that Russia "has routinely violated its international commitments" on arms control and cannot be trusted.
US concerned by Russian satellite's 'very abnormal behavior' (ABC News)