Setting up nuclear power unit in space is priority for Russia: Prez Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasised on Thursday the importance of prioritising space projects, including the establishment of a nuclear power unit in space, during discussions with government officials, as reported by state news agency TASS.

Russia "has good competencies and, moreover, even has such reserves that we can be proud of, which we can count on in the future," Putin said at a meeting with members of the government, pointing as an example to a nuclear power unit that would operate in space.

"We need to finance it on time," Putin said, according to TASS.

"We just need to set priorities," he said, adding "there are issues there that require additional attention."

"It seems that we are all used to the fact that we have such competencies that other countries do not possess, but we need to pay special attention to them so that they develop and can be used in the future to solve those tasks that can and should be solved with the help of these technologies," Putin also said.

According to TASS, Yuri Borisov, the chief of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, announced recently that Russia and China are collaborating on a venture to deploy a nuclear reactor on the moon.

"Today, we are seriously considering a project to deliver to the moon and mount a power reactor there jointly with our Chinese partners somewhere between 2033 and 2035," he said in remarks at a youth festival on March 5.

In March 2021, Russia's State Space Corporation Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration inked a memorandum on behalf of their respective governments, outlining cooperation in establishing an International Lunar Research Station, as reported by TASS.

Last month, sources told CNN that Russia is in the process of developing a nuclear space weapon capable of severely damaging a wide range of commercial and government satellites. Referred to as a nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) weapon by military space experts, it would emit a burst of electromagnetic energy and a stream of highly charged particles, potentially disrupting satellites orbiting Earth.

While this weapon is still being developed and has not been deployed into orbit, officials from the Biden administration have stressed that its use would mark a perilous shift in nuclear weaponry history.

The weapon's potential impact on everyday life is uncertain but could result in significant disruptions, CNN reported.