PM’s ‘propaganda’ claim as Jakarta banks on Russia space deal

Indonesia has declared it is on the verge of a major space partnership with Russia as Anthony Albanese dismissed Moscow’s growing strategic ties with Jakarta as “propaganda”.

Russia’s Soyuz MS-27 space craft blasts off to head to the International Space Station at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 8, 2025. Picture: NASA/AFP

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Indonesia has declared it is on the verge of a major space partnership with Russia as Anthony Albanese dismissed Moscow’s growing strategic ties with Jakarta as Russian “propaganda”.

The Coalition accused the government of “obfuscation, deception and trickery” as the Prime Minister declared on Monday he was “anti-Russia” but refused for the sixth day in a row to say what his government knew about Moscow’s bid to operate military aircraft from a base in Indonesia.

Amid the ongoing election row, Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency said it was close to sealing a deal with Russia’s state-owned space agency, Roscosmos, to establish a satellite launch facility on Biak Island, in the country’s Papua Province.

“Technically there are no major challenges. In my view, once the legal framework is finalised, there won’t be any significant challenge,” the agency’s head of space research Robertus Heru ­Trihajanto told The Australian.

Dr Trihajanto said the opportunity had been thrown open to all of Indonesia’s international partners, “not just to our friends in Russia”, but Moscow was the only one interested in the partnership.

He said there would be appropriate safeguards to prevent the ­facility from being used for military purposes.

A Russian Tu-95 bomber arrives on Indonesia’s Biak Island in December 2017. Picture: Russian Defence Ministry

The negotiations on the planned spaceport have been occurring in parallel with talks on the potential for Russia – China’s “no limits” partner – to provide nuclear reactor technology to meet Indonesia’s vast energy needs.

“It’s the same as in nuclear – there are legal frameworks to ensure proper handling,” Dr Trihajanto said. His comments came after a Russian delegation met with the agency’s leadership last week to discuss space and nuclear co-operation.

Peter Dutton will seek to capitalise on concerns over the growing Russia-Indonesia partnership when he announces his defence policy on Wednesday or Thursday, pledging to spend more money on new military capabilities than Labor.

As analysts warned of Moscow’s expanding influence over Jakarta, Russian envoy Sergei Tolchenov declared on the weekend that Australia had “no cards” to play that could undermine ­his country’s military co-operation with Indonesia.

Grilled on the Russian ambassador’s comments and the ­Russia-Indonesia partnership, Mr Albanese declared: “I’m anti-Russia. I’m not sure that everyone is on that page, but I think that Russia has very different values under an authoritarian leader.

“I have no wish to help promote Russia’s propaganda messages. And I’d suggest that that’s not in Australia’s national interest.”

The Prime Minister sidestepped when asked directly if Russia asked Indonesia to base long-range aircraft on Biak Island, as reported last week by respected defence publication Janes.

Casting doubt over the report, he said the Coalition’s request for a briefing on the matter – which was rejected by Labor – was like seeking information “on who faked the moon landing”.

The Opposition Leader said Labor’s continued obfuscation on the issue was “strange”.

“The government’s language keeps changing,” Mr Dutton said.

“What do they have to hide? I wish this Prime Minister could be open and honest with the Australian people and he hasn’t been.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Indonesia’s then defence minister and now President Prabowo Subianto. Picture: AP

A day earlier, Labor frontbencher Murray Watt went further than his Labor colleagues to declare there had been “no proposal from Russia to have a base anywhere in Indonesia”.

But Senator Watt walked away from the statement on Monday, claiming he had been selectively quoted. “The bottom line is that Indonesia has made repeatedly clear that there will be no Russian base on their soil,” he said.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman David Coleman said Senator Watt’s failure to repeat the charge showed Labor wasn’t being straight with voters.

“We’re seeing obfuscation, deception and trickery from the Labor Party on what is a critical issue of enormous strategic importance for Australia,” he said.

“Labor is desperate to avoid scrutiny on this issue, but Australians deserve to know the truth.

“The government should be honest with the Australian people and provide the opposition with a briefing on this matter.”

Indonesia’s looming space deal with Russia has been years in the making and follows an unsuccessful attempt to get the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, to lead the partnership.

Jakarta has been steadily building ties with Moscow under President Prabowo Subianto, who wasted little time in signing on to the China and Russia-led BRICS developing nations grouping after his October inauguration.

Weeks later, the two nations conducted their first bilateral naval drills in Indonesian waters, raising questions about Jakarta’s commitment to its non-aligned status given Moscow’s ongoing war on Ukraine.

Mr Prabowo also met Vladimir Putin in Moscow in July, just months after his presidential election victory, and is scheduled to return there this June.