YEKATERINBURG, January 13. /TASS/. Russian scientists are planning to cooperate with the NASA newly-established Planetary Defence Coordination Office (PDCO), the head of the Astronomy Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Boris Shustov, told TASS on Wednesday.

"It is crucial for the international community to work together in tackling the threats from space, which are inherently global," Shustov said. "We are planning to cooperate with specialists of the U.S. office on different issues."

Also, Shustov has said that the international scientific community is engaged in a number of asteroid protection programmes.

"Russian scientists participate in the International Asteroid Warning Network that detects near-Earth objects and with the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG)," he said.