Russian Nationalist Claims Meteorite Was 'US Weapons Test'

Russian nationalist lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky, claimed Friday that meteorite fragments had not rained down on Russia in the morning, but that the light flashes and tremors in several of the country's regions resulted from US weapons tests.

"Those aren't meteors falling, it's the Americans testing new weapons," the controversial politician told reporters, as cited by RIA Novosti.

Zhirinovsky also claimed that US Secretary of State John Kerry had wanted to warn Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about the "provocation", but could not reach him on the phone.

Over 510 people sought medical assistance after a meteorite fell on Russia's central Chelyabinsk Oblast Friday morning. 112 of them have been hospitalized. Most of the people who have sought medical assistance have been cut by broken glass.

Initially believed to be caused by a strong meteorite shower, the incident was later supposed to be the fall of debris from a single meteorite that fell apart and burned in the atmosphere.

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