Russian military: 'Space troops not yet ready to fight aliens’

Despite being called Russia’s space troops, they are not ready to deal with invasions by aliens from outer space, according to a statement by a Russian defense official.

In a surprising move, an apparently serious journalist raised this question of extraterrestrial security during a media conference at the Titov Main Test and Space Systems Control Center near Moscow, Russia’s main satellite control center.

“So far we are not capable of that. We are unfortunately not ready to fight extraterrestrial civilizations,” the center’s deputy chief Sergey Berezhnoy explained.

“Our center was not tasked with it. There are too many problems on Earth and near it,” he added.

Titov space center, which is run by Russia’s Aerospace Defense Troops, controls around 80 percent of the country’s satellite fleet, both military and civilian. It is also engaged in launches of spacecraft and strategic ballistic missiles. The facility located about 40km southwest of Moscow is manned by some 1,000 officers and soldiers.

Russia’s space troops, in their current form, were created in 2011 through the integration of several military branches responsible for anti-missile defense, strategic anti-aircraft warfare and control of outer space. 

Among its facilities are an early ballistic missile launch warning center with a corresponding network of radar stations, a center for space surveillance, the Plesetsk Military Cosmodrome and a strategic missile testing range in Kura.

While they may not as yet be able to deal with an alien attack, Russia’s space troops at least have extremely effective and high tech means for dealing with terrestrial issues and threats.