American legislators and the media were stirred up by intelligence information about the potential ability of the Russians to create a nuclear anti-satellite system, because this could become a serious threat to America's national security. The White House confirmed the information, but said that such weapons do not currently pose an immediate threat.
Republican Mike Turner, who chairs the US House Intelligence Committee, demands that the White House immediately declassify this intelligence. However, no one provided any details.
Test Ban Treaty in Outer Space
In August 1958, the Americans carried out a series of nuclear explosions in the upper atmosphere over Johnston Island near Hawaii. Subsequently, three more explosions were secretly carried out in space. The missiles were launched from a US warship in the Atlantic Ocean.
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The Soviet Union decided to keep up with the Americans and in 1961 carried out a series of nuclear explosions in space.
However, already on August 5, 1963, Washington and Moscow concluded a Treaty banning nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere, outer space and under water. The UK also joined the agreement. Currently, 131 states are parties to the treaty.
In 2019, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the non-placement of any weapons in space. And in 2023, the Russian State Duma withdrew its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Before this, dictator Vladimir Putin said that the Russian Federation had practically completed work on new nuclear weapons, and to test them it was enough to withdraw the said ratification.
Russia is developing anti-satellite weapons
The Russian system is under development and has not been launched into orbit, according to three US officials familiar with the new intelligence. However, it is unknown how far the technology has advanced.
A number of media outlets, such as ABC News, The New York Times, Reuters and CNN, have found that Russian anti-satellite nuclear weapons could threaten American satellites. It is also known that Washington also informed its allies in Europe.
Democrat and member of the House Intelligence Committee Jim Gimes believes that the issue is too serious, but is not a reason for panic. Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson said that he had known this data since at least January.
ICTV Facts asked the Deputy Director of the Ukrainian Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies Mikhail Samus, is the nuclear threat from the Russian Federation in space real?
According to him, despite the fact that a moratorium was imposed on the use of nuclear weapons in space, the developments themselves, technical documentation, and industrial base did not disappear anywhere, the Russians still had everything.
— I think some of the engineers who developed these technologies are still alive. Therefore, all this is absolutely real, — expert notes.
Mikhail Samus believes that the Russian Federation should not have problems with the production of nuclear missiles for launch into space, because these are Soviet technologies that do not require foreign-made components. Even if there is such a need, Russians can easily buy the necessary microchips and electronics through third countries and smuggle them in.
What will the use of nuclear weapons against satellites give to the Russian Federation
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The most important thing is that Russia will gain a strategic advantage. Because satellites are important for conducting, preparing and planning military operations. And here we are not even talking about civil communications or the Internet.
The use of satellites is extremely important when waging war, because you need to track the coordinates of the enemy’s movements, his locations, and the like.
For example, Starlink has thousands of satellites in orbit. The Ukrainian military uses this connection. The head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kirill Budanov, said that the Internet with Starlink has been used by Russians in the occupied territories for a long time.
— If several nuclear explosions are carried out in outer space near orbital constellations of reconnaissance satellites, those that provide GPS navigation, or provide control communications, a strategic collapse will occur, — notes expert Mikhail Samus.
For example, reconnaissance or missile positioning and guidance systems will simply fail.
The nuclear threat from Russia never disappeared
According to Mikhail Samus, the nuclear threat from Russia has not disappeared since the days of the Soviet Union. Although this was temporarily neutralized.
And now the Russian Federation is trying in every possible way to regain its imperial position, so it will use all possibilities for this. In addition, US presidential candidate Donald Trump is adding fuel to the fire with statements that he is ready to be friends with Russia.
The Russian Federation wants to build an “axis of evil”
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According to Mikhail Samus, Russia may well use countries such as Iran and North Korea for its nuclear interests, creating the so-called axis of evil.
— It is possible that North Korea will launch a nuclear attack on American military satellites in space. That is, not Russia, but North Korea, — says the expert.
According to him, for the last six months, Russia has been massively, on an industrial scale, transferring various military technologies to the DPRK, in particular missile and, quite possibly, nuclear technologies.
— If you look at how North Korea’s entire military program gained momentum and how quickly missiles began to develop, including intercontinental missiles, cruise missile launch systems from submarines, and submarines in the DPRK, we can conclude that Russia is transferring everything it needs to North Korea, to create a real threat to the United States, — states Mikhail Samus.
The United States' voluntary renunciation of leadership in the world is a wrong path for them. Stopping aid to Ukraine, Donald Trump's statements not to help NATO allies in case of war — a huge mistake that creates a geopolitical and strategic vacuum, the expert believes.
Russia will not hesitate, and together with the axis of evil, with the support of China, by the way, it will very quickly occupy this niche.
According to Mikhail Samus, the nuclear threat from Russia and its minions is quite real.
And the expert also notes that the topic of the nuclear threat should be heard in Washington constantly. Instead, America is engaged in internal political conflicts and jeopardizes not only the leadership of the United States, but global stability due to a change in the balance in the world order.
