INTERNACIONAL
Russia sinks space nuke ban at UN amid rumors of Putin’s orbital weapon
A U.S.-led resolution that would prevent using nuclear weapons in outer space received dozens of co-sponsors, but Russia vetoed the measure amid reports it has deployed a weapon that can destroy satellites.
«The detonation of a nuclear weapon in space would destroy satellites that are vital to communications, agriculture, national security, and more worldwide, with grave implications for sustainable development, and other aspects of international peace and security,» the U.S. Mission to the United Nations wrote in a press release prior to the vote.
«The diverse group of cosponsors of this resolution reflects the strong shared interest in avoiding such an outcome,» the statement read. «We join these Member States in calling on the Security Council to meet this moment today and adopt the resolution unanimously, consistent with its mandate to maintain international peace and security.»
The U.S. and Japan presented the resolution to the U.N. Security Council for a vote on Wednesday, but Russia shot the measure down. Prior to the vote, Russia’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky reported that his country’s initial impression was that the resolution served as «yet another propaganda stunt by Washington» and called it a «very politicized» effort «divorced from reality,» The Associated Press reported.
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The draft resolution, which received backing from 60 member states, states that «the prevention of an arms race in outer space would avert a grave danger for international peace and security.» It affirms that countries that ratified the 1967 Outer Space Treaty must comply with their obligations.
A Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, March 22, 2024. (Getty Images)
The tug-of-war over hypothetical space-based weapons follows claims from the White House in February that Russia had deployed a «troubling» anti-satellite weapon – though no one has yet confirmed the weapon is operational or even in a testing phase.
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The weapon would allegedly be capable of destroying satellites by creating a massive energy wave when detonated, Foreign Policy reported. The weapon could therefore potentially cripple countless other satellites that serve both commercial and government purposes, including cellphone use and internet access.
Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s permanent representative to the U.N., attends a Security Council meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York City on April 14, 2024. (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Russia at the time argued that it would uphold the international 1967 treaty, which bans the deployment of «nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction» into orbit or the stationing of «weapons in outer space in any other manner.»
«Our position is quite clear and transparent: we have always been and remain categorically opposed to the deployment of nuclear weapons in space,» Russian President Vladimir Putin said in February. «Just the opposite, we are urging everyone to adhere to all the agreements that exist in this sphere.»
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., attends the Security Council meeting to demand an immediate cease-fire in Gaza on March 25, 2024, in New York. (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images)
However, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu cryptically added at another time that Russia has only developed space capabilities that «other nations, including the U.S., have.»
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U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres later warned that «geopolitical tensions and mistrust have escalated the risk of nuclear warfare to its highest point in decades.»
Russia’s Soyuz-2.1a, carrying the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft, was successfully launched from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur spaceport on March 23, 2024, according to TASS News Agency. (Roscosmos/Ivan Timoshenko/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Putin, throughout the conflict with Ukraine, has dangled threats of nuclear weapons. He said that «from a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready,» when asked in March about a potential nuclear war.
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Putin has used the threat of nuclear weapons in Ukraine as a means of preventing more direct intervention from the U.S. and other NATO allies, repeatedly stressing that any deployment of troops or similar more direct moves against Russia would be viewed as intervening in the war.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
Was a beloved whale suspected of being a Russian ‘spy’ killed in Norway?
Havldimir quickly became a celebrity in Norway, swimming his way into their Nordic hearts.
But this beluga whale’s odd story started in 2019 when he was discovered in northern Norway near the island of Ingoya wearing a harness with «Equipment St Petersburg» written in English connected to a mount for a small camera.
Hvaldimir, as Norwegians dubbed him – mixing together the Norwegian word for whale and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s name – was intelligent, friendly and responded to hand signals, leading Norway’s spy agency to believe he had been held in captivity by Russia and used for research purposes.
Once Hvaldimir was freed from his harness, though, his friendly personality made him beloved in the country.
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Hvaldimir was found in 2019 wearing a harness with a camera mount on it. (Jorgen Ree Wiig/Sea Surveillance Service/Handout/NTB Scanpix via Reuters/File Photo)
He was fed and monitored by the Norwegian government and dubbed a «free-swimming whale» by the Norwegian Orca Survey, venturing as far as Sweden but always returning home, according to The Telegraph.
Hvaldimir was found dead off southern Norway last weekend.
«It’s absolutely horrible,» marine biologist Sebastian Strand, who worked with Marine Mind, told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. «He was apparently in good condition as of (Friday), so we just have to figure out what might have happened here.»
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Hvaldimir, being fed here, became beloved in Norway. (orgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
Hvaldimir may have died of natural causes, but conservation groups NOAH and One Whale have filed police reports claiming he was shot, according to the Telegraph.
The Oceanic Preservation Society said that a necropsy will be done on Hvaldimir to determine his cause of death in the next few weeks.
«We’ve been absolutely devastated over the news, and are deeply saddened that humanity failed this beloved whale,» the organization said on social media.
He was fed and monitored by the Norwegian government and dubbed a «free-swimming whale» by the Norwegian Orca Survey, venturing as far as Sweden but always returning home. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
Nonprofit Marine Mind said on Facebook that Hvaldimir «bridged the gap» between humans and wild animals in a way «few can.»
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«Hvaldimir was not just a beluga whale; he was a beacon of hope, a symbol of connection, and a reminder of the deep bond between humans and the natural world,» the organization said. «Over the past five years, he touched the lives of tens of thousands, bringing people together in awe of the wonders of nature. His presence taught us about the importance of ocean conservation, and in doing so, he also taught us more about ourselves.»
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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