White House Confirms Russia Developing New Anti-Satellite Capability

‘There is no immediate threat to anyone’s safety,’ NSC spokesperson John Kirby said.

In this handout photo taken from video released by Roscosmos on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, a Russian Soyuz rocket lifts off to carry Iranian Khayyam satellite into orbit at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome near Baikonur, Kazakhstan. A Russian rocket has successfully launched an Iranian satellite into orbit. The Soyuz rocket lifted off as scheduled at 8:52 a.m. Moscow time (0552 GMT) Tuesday from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan. Roscosmos via AP

Russia is developing a new anti-satellite capability that could directly threaten the most critical U.S. civil and military infrastructure, the White House confirmed on Feb. 15.

The disclosure follows a demand by House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) that the Biden administration declassify information regarding a “serious national security threat.”