MOSCOW, March 4. /TASS/. Russia does not rule out that the United States and its NATO allies may shortly deploy weapon components in outer space, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Vladimir Yermakov said at a news conference on Wednesday.

"It is not ruled out that we may soon witness the emergence of already weapon components of the US potential and, perhaps, the potential of other states that are US NATO allies, in outer space. We will continue taking all efforts to prevent this scenario," the Russian diplomat said.

"In the United States and in France and now in NATO as a whole, the talk is about the possibility of military actions in outer space," he explained.

This situation is a real problem for Russia and its fears of a possible arms race in outer space are beginning to materialize, the Russian diplomat stressed.

First Deputy Head of the Main Operations Department of Russia’s General Staff Lieutenant-General Viktor Poznikhir said at the 8th Moscow International Security Conference in April last year that the United States was planning to create a space echelon with striking anti-ballistic missile defense capabilities to hit ballistic missiles at the early stages of their flight, thus actually reviving the concept of ‘star wars.’

As the general stressed, it is not ruled out that these capabilities may be used to deliver a pre-emptive strike against facilities in Russia, China and any other country.