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© RIA Novosti. Anton DenisovThe Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday denied media reports of a Russian military satellite that allegedly exploded above the United States.
The Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday denied media reports of a Russian military satellite that allegedly exploded above the United States.

Earlier in the day, the American Meteor Society published more than 30 reports from alleged eyewitnesses, who claimed they observed a blast of Russia's Kosmos-2495 imaging reconnaissance satellite.


Comment: The reports from the American Meteor Society are general observations of fireball sightings, not specific sightings where people claim they have seen 'a blast of Russia's Kosmos-2495 satellite'.


"The Russian satellite group functions normally and is being constantly monitored by the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces," ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

Kosmos-2495 was launched on May 6, 2014. It is also known as Kobalt-M reconnaissance satellite, an operational member of the Yantar series of Russian satellites. It weighs 6.6 tonnes, operates on Low Earth Orbit and is equipped with a film camera.