Vladimir Putin says Russia will launch a lunar probe with ally Belarus

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Moscow will launch a lunar probe with ally Belarus.

Recalling Soviet successes in space, Putin said “it’s certainly impossible to isolate anyone in the world of today, especially such a huge country as Russia.” 

He was referring to NASA which is boycotting Russian space agency Roscosmos after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Putin added that “we will work with those of our partners who want to cooperate.”

In the first known trip outside Moscow since Russian launched military action in Ukraine, Putin met Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East.

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He said Russia will deepen cooperation with Belarus on space infrastructure and technology. Roskosmos is going to train a Belarusian for flight on a Russian spacecraft.

According to Putin, Russia plans on launching a probe called Luna-25 to the moon in the third quarter of this year.

Russia continues to redeploy its forces for a push on eastern Ukraine, and fighting is expected to intensify there over the next two to three weeks as per Britain’s defence ministry.

It says Russian forces are withdrawing from Belarus in order to redeploy in support of operations in eastern Ukraine.

(With inputs from agencies)