Science News

Russian ‘space troops’ are ‘not yet ready to fight aliens’, warns official

Even with years of training and the nickname of “space troops”, Russia’s Aerospace Defence Troops would lack the ability to handle an extra-terrestrial attack, a Russian defense official has warned.

Russia’s Aerospace Defense Troops are ‘not yet ready to fight aliens’, an official warned Wednesday during a media conference.

The official’s warning came in response to a question asked by a journalist at a media conference at the Titov Main Test and Space Systems Control Center, located 25 miles outside of the Russian capital, Moscow.

Sergey Berezhnoy, the center’s deputy chief, responded to the unexpected question with a short statement.

“We are unfortunately not ready to fight extraterrestrial civilizations, our center was not tasked with it. There are too many problems on Earth and near it.”

The Russian Space Forces were founded shortly after the break-up of the Soviet Union, but were replaced by the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces in 2011. The military branch controls approximately 80% of the country’s satellites, and is mainly responsible for both air and missile defense, but its duties notably also include the protection of Russia from “potential threats to the Russian Federation in space and from space”.

Amongst the center’s facilities are a “ballistic missile launch warning center”, “a center for space surveillance” and a “strategic missile testing range.”

Despite this ominous warning from a defense official, Russia Today – the first agency to report the news of this comment – were very quick to reassure their readers that “while they may not as yet be able to deal with an alien attack, Russia’s space troops at least have extremely effective and high-tech means for dealing with terrestrial issues and threats.”

Sources: Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, Russia Today, the Independent