Russia can run nuclear weapons into space as early as 2024 - Bloomberg
According to sources, Russia develops space potential for the destruction of satellites by nuclear weapons. The publication adds that such a nuclear warhead in orbit will violate the cosmos agreement in 1967, which signed the Russian Federation. The relevant information appeared after the chairman of the US House Intelligence Committee warned last week about a serious but uncertain threat to the US national security by Russia.
Later, as recalled in the publication, US President Joe Biden said that the Kremlin was developing a sustainable space weapon that does not pose a direct threat to human life. Earlier, the President of the aggressor country Vladimir Putin stated that in Russia "were categorically opposed and now opposed to the placement of nuclear weapons in space. " "We only make in space only that they have other countries, including the United States," the head of the Russian Federation said.
The publication adds that such "predictable" Kremlin ambitions emphasize the growing competition between the United States, Russia and China for the development of "seizure opportunities" in space. The new "Space Race" contrasts with the Cold War, when the two superpowers have concluded a series of arms control agreements designed to prevent space "widening". According to current estimates, Moscow does not plan to undermine any orbital weapons.
However, there is a risk of an accident, and a nuclear explosion can potentially affect about a third of satellites and harm the ground communication systems. According to a person familiar with space weapons, the consequences of any explosion in space will not necessarily mean the destruction of satellites, but may mean failures that require correction of errors. According to the United Nations on outer space, there were almost 7,800 working satellites as of April last year.