When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Russia’s state space corporation calls for recruits to join the Uran volunteer battalion.
Roscosmos is recruiting and training militia members for Russia’s ongoing invasion and occupation of Ukraine, according to a Financial Times report.
The campaign by Russia’s main space corporation aims to create the “Uran” battalion, which takes its name from the Russian for Uranus, consisting of Roscosmos employees, according to Ars Technica, citing the FT report.
Roscosmos is preparing to launch the Luna 25 moon mission in August as part of its traditional sphere of activities, but it is now also working to reinforce Russia’s stalled invasion of Ukraine.
Related: Russia’s war on Ukraine has caused lasting damage to international spaceflight cooperation
“State corporation Roscosmos calls on you to join the Uran volunteer battalion where you will be trained for victory in this great war,” one recruitment video states.
Roscosmos is apparently offering financial incentives to individuals who sign up. These bonuses reportedly outstrip the remuneration received by most of its employees.
Efforts by state corporations to boost Russia’s military forces are seen as an attempt to persuade people to join the war effort while allowing the government to avoid announcing a draft.
— SpaceX worked to prevent Ukraine from using Starlink internet with drones: report
— Ukraine’s proud space industry faces obliteration, but country’s former space chief has hope for the future
— Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: Astronauts share their unique perspective
Despite the bloody and devastating conflict, which has seen a wide range of sanctions imposed on Russia, Roscosmos has been largely overlooked and still works closely with NASA and the European Space Agency as they continue cooperation in running the International Space Station (ISS).
Ars Technica reported that a number of former NASA astronauts are unhappy about Russia’s war on Ukraine, and that Roscosmos’ now direct involvement in the conflict should push NASA’s relations to a breaking point in its engagement with Russia over the ISS.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!
Andrew is a freelance space journalist with a focus on reporting on China’s rapidly growing space sector. He began writing for Space.com in 2019 and writes for SpaceNews, IEEE Spectrum, National Geographic, Sky & Telescope, New Scientist and others. Andrew first caught the space bug when, as a youngster, he saw Voyager images of other worlds in our solar system for the first time. Away from space, Andrew enjoys trail running in the forests of Finland. You can follow him on Twitter @AJ_FI.
North Korea planning to launch a satellite this week amid military tensions
India’s Chandrayaan-3 probe to attempt historic moon landing on Aug. 23: Watch it live
Clearspace-1 space debris cleanup target in orbit just got struck by space debris
By Jeff Spry
By Andrew Jones
By Mike Wall
By Elizabeth Howell, Daisy Dobrijevic
By Elizabeth Howell
By Robert Lea
By Leonard David
By Mike Wall
By Mike Wall
By Tereza Pultarova
By Andrew Jones
Space is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.