Nuclear space weapon

“Very, very serious”: NATO has already taken precautions

Putin went to see space and rocket research for himself last year.(Bild: AFP)

Russia is apparently developing a nuclear anti-satellite weapon system. While the Kremlin describes the US intelligence reports as a "malicious forgery", the Biden administration is trying to contain its own findings. After all, the actual deployment of such a space weapon would have enormous consequences for Europe and the world.

US intelligence reports that Russia is working on nuclear weapons systems for space are causing an international stir. In the meantime, the US government has also made an official statement and is trying to put the brakes on: While the development is worrying, national security spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday, there is no immediate danger. "They are still developing these capabilities. We're still in the process of analyzing the information that's available to us."

"Serious concerns" from intelligence agencies
President Joe Biden has ordered a series of initial measures, including direct diplomatic contacts with Russia. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will brief senior members of Congress on the situation later today.

Listen to Kirby's statement:

According to Kirby, the US will not publicly disclose any further information on the type and stage of development of the weapon, which is primarily intended to target satellites. Intelligence agencies have "serious concerns" about a wide-ranging release. "They also conclude that it may be a much more effective approach to begin with confidential engagement rather than releasing the information immediately."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the government was taking the Russian program "very, very seriously".

Putin visited the space and rocket research program himself last year.(Bild: AFP)

Kremlin denies US claims
Russia called the warnings on Thursday a "malicious fake" and a trick. This was clearly an attempt by the US government to persuade Congress to approve more money for Ukraine and to fight Russia, said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. He would not comment further on the reports until the US government had provided details.

The New York Times and ABC News reported that the new US information was related to Russian attempts to develop a space-based anti-satellite nuclear weapon. It was initially unclear why Russia would need a nuclear device to destroy a satellite. Non-nuclear anti-satellite weapons have been around for years.

Experts: Nuclear propulsion more likely
Analysts who follow Russia's space programs believe that the space weapon is unlikely to be a nuclear warhead. More realistic, they say, is a high-powered device that requires nuclear energy to carry out a series of attacks on satellites.

These include signal jammers, weapons that can blind image sensors or electromagnetic pulses that could paralyze all satellite electronics in a particular orbital region.

"The Russians think we're blind if we don't have access to our satellites, and that's probably true," a former US intelligence official told Reuters news agency. "Our ability to rely on satellites is a big advantage in a potential confrontation, but it's also a big vulnerability."

Attack would trigger alliance
The consequences of military action in space would be devastating. In 2021, NATO decided that attacks from or in space could in future be dealt with under Article 5 on collective defense. In other words, the Alliance case would be declared.

One of the reasons given for the move was that attacks on satellites could be used to paralyze parts of public life in the event of war. The dependence on these systems is enormous these days. The processing of cashless payments, cell phone networks or navigation systems for road, sea and air traffic could be severely affected by an attack.

The functionality of air defense systems, such as the joint European Sky Shield project, could also be severely restricted:

The International Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which both Russia and the USA signed, prohibits signatories from "placing objects containing nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction into Earth orbit". In recent decades, Russia in particular has repeatedly criticized the USA before the United Nations for wanting to arm space. The tenor: this is an extremely dangerous trend!