As the crisis in Ukraine continues, there is a looming fear that Russia may abandon the International Space Station. Lately, a video appeared in which Dmitry Rogozin of Russia warned the US, but he seemed to hint at something strange but frightening.
A Russian media outlet posted a video where the International Space Station (ISS) was falling apart after Russian cosmonauts bid farewell. The video, as well as other relevant information, was posted by NASA Watch on Twitter.
Rogozin has already threatened the United States by destroying the Russian component of the International Space Station, prompting Elon Musk to pledge that SpaceX will keep the massive station running. However, it’s still unclear if Rogozin would explicitly destroy the ISS or separate the Russian component and fly alone.
This isn’t the first time Roscosmos’ chief has threatened the agency. Rogozin is a shrewd man who took it personally when SpaceX ended the United States’ dependency on Russian spacecraft to reach the ISS. There was also the moment when Russia unexpectedly spun the ISS twice.
Despite the criticism, NASA has tried to keep the relationship intact.
“[NASA] continues working with all our international partners, including the State Space Corporation Roscosmos, for the ongoing safe operations of the International Space Station,” the space agency said.
There are several unresolved issues surrounding Rogozin’s warning, as well as much of Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine. However, another Twitter user and space expert summed it just well.
“I can’t wait for Twitter to cut off Russian government accounts so we won’t have to suffer through the trolling from Rogozin (and other bots),” Alan Boyle, creator of space news outlet Cosmic Log said. Since an empty threat during a war can be just as frightening as a legitimate one, taking down Rogozin’s accounts might reduce potential aggravation.