Amid ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos has warned that sanctions could cause the International Space Station (ISS) to crash, reported news agency AFP. With this, Russia has called for punitive measures to be lifted.

ISS is a modular space station in low earth orbit. It is a collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada), reports IndiaTV.

With Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US, along with several other European countries, has imposed heavy economic sanctions on Russia. Apart from this, several multinational corporations have suspended their businesses in Russia, including big giants like Microsoft, GooglePay, ApplePay, Jaguar, Netflix, McDonald's, etc among others.

Russia's warning wouldn't come as a surprise for the US, because tensions have long prevailed between the countries regarding the conduct of their joint project ISS. Back in November 2021, US officials had accused Russia of destroying an old satellite with a missile in what they called a reckless and irresponsible strike. They said the debris could damage the space station, an assessment backed by NATO’s chief, reported news agency AP.

Russian troops in Ukraine are constantly conducting airstrikes in cities like Vasylkiv, and the capital city Kyiv. Earlier today, it was also reported that Russian troops have abducted the mayor of Ukraine's Melitopol city, claimed President Volodymyr Putin.