However no official announcement has been made and even then, the Russians are obliged to give a year’s notice in advance * Another proof of the era of blocs of states in space
The director of the Russian Space Agency said a few days ago that the country would leave the International Space Station, and according to Moscow it was a result of the economic sanctions imposed because of Russia’s confrontation with Ukraine, according to Bloomberg.
Two Russian state news agencies – Tas and RIA Novosti – reported on Saturday that Roscosmos’s general manager Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview that the decision had already been approved.
“The decision has already been made, we are not obliged to talk about it in public,” he said in an interview with state television.
“I can only say that – in accordance with our commitments, we will notify our partners of the termination of our activity at the station a year in advance.”
Earlier in April Rogozin attacked the list of economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the West and said Roscosmos would halt cooperation on the International Space Station with NASA and the European Space Agency.
“I believe that the restoration of normal relations between the partners in the International Space Station and other joint projects will be possible only after the complete and unconditional removal of the illegal sanctions,” he tweeted at the time.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, the United States – along with the European Union and Britain – have imposed a series of economic sanctions against Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin and many people in the leader’s inner circle.
For years the space station has been a bright spot in US-Russia relations, and this is noteworthy in light of the relations that existed between the two countries in the past in the “space race” during the Cold War, when both strongly sought to gain control of outer space exploration.
But for months Russia has found itself isolated in the global arena, with ties in the multinational project eroding because of Putin’s moves.
According to Bloomberg, three American and one Italian astronaut arrived at the space station earlier this week, alongside three American crew members, three Russians and one German who were already at the station.
NASA intends to continue operating the station until 2030.
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