BLAST OFF
Putin planning to launch Russian nuclear weapons into SPACE in ‘serious threat’, warns US intelligence
The nukes could target Western satellites in space
RUSSIA is planning to launch nuclear weapons into space in a "grave" threat to the world's security, US intelligence has warned.
President Joe Biden has been tracking the "national security threat", which is understood to be "serious but not immediate".
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A congressional aide said he understood that the threat relates to a space-deployed Russian anti-satellite weapon.
Such a weapon could pose a major danger to Western satellites that transmit billions of bytes of data each hour.
This could destroy communication networks and military targeting systems floating above the earth.
Biden and The White House called the threat “serious” and haven't announced it publicly so far to contain a potential mass panic, a White House official said.
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Dr Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told : “If Russia has deployed nuclear weapons in orbit that would be a deliberate and direct violation of the 1967 outer space treaty by Moscow.
“The outer space treaty is a cornerstone of space stability, and this would be a grave setback for international arms control."
But Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov dismissed reports as "malicious fabrication", Tass reports.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov meanwhile attempted to rubbish rumours as "yet another trick" by the White House.
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Republican Mike Turner, the head of the House intelligence committee, revealed the worrying idea of Russia's plan in a statement - but didn't say it was about nukes.
He called on Biden to share the concern publicly so people are aware of what is going on.
Sources also described the intelligence as “very concerning and very sensitive”, reports .
The White House's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at a press briefing this week: "Americans understand that there are a range of threats and challenges in the world that we are dealing with every single day.
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"I am confident that President Biden, in the decisions that he is taking, is going to ensure the security of the American people."
Multiple members of US Congress have also described the issue as serious.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters: "We are going to work together to address this matter, as we do all sensitive matters that are classified.
";But we just want to assure everyone steady hands are at the wheel."
Rep. Jim Himes, a Connecticut Democrat and the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, called the fears "significant" but "not a cause for panic."
"As to whether more can be declassified about this issue, that is a worthwhile discussion but it is not a discussion to be had in public," Himes continued.
Just last year, Vladimir Putin was thought to be readying a deadly 20,000mph "meteorite"; hypersonic missile for combat.
The nuclear-capable weapon can be fired outside the Earth's atmosphere before striking anywhere in the world in less than 30 minutes.
Russia's space weapons test
RUSSIA risked triggering a space war in 2020 when it fired its first ever anti-satellite weapon into space.
The weapon was launched from Moscow's Cosmos 2543 satellite and while it didn't target another spacecraft, it came close to a Russian satellite.
Putin had previously conducted low-level tests with weapons in orbit, but nothing of this size.
The US and UK blasted the Kremlin over the test, saying it threatened peace in space.
The head of the UK military’s space directorate said debris from the weapon even threatened satellites the world depends on.
In a statement, the US said the launch was "another example that the threats to US and Allied space systems are real, serious and increasing."
It is believed to be the only weapon of its kind in the world and Putin has warned the West possesses no means to stop it.
Russian defence authorities believe it will "increase the combat capabilities of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces".
Putin said in 2018 as it was being developed: “It goes at a goal like a meteorite, like a burning ball, like a fireball.”
Global fears over the use of nuclear weapons have increased in recent months as multiple wars have broken out across the globe.
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The Ukraine War in particular has sparked huge worries after Vladimir Putin's top stooge warned the West they will be faced with "the end of everything" if it dares to threaten Russia.
Ex-president Dmitry Medvedev claimed Nato and European leaders including Rishi Sunak would be to blame for the nuclear "apocalypse".
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