Russian nuclear weapons in space?
| Titel: | Russian nuclear weapons in space? : potential destructive consequences in space, escalation on earth, and damage to arms control / Jonas Schneider and Juliana Süß ; Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik - German Institute for International and Security Affairs |
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| Verfasser: | ; |
| Körperschaft: | |
| Veröffentlicht: | Berlin : SWP, [May 2025] |
| Umfang: | 1 Online-Ressource (8 Seiten) : Illustrationen |
| Format: | E-Book |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Schriftenreihe/ mehrbändiges Werk: |
SWP comment ; 2025, no. 21 (May 2025) |
| Einheitssachtitel: | Russische Atomwaffen im Weltraum? |
| Andere Ausgaben: |
Übersetzung von: Schneider, Jonas, 1981 -. Russische Atomwaffen im Weltraum?. - Berlin : SWP, 2025. - 1 Online-Ressource (8 Seiten)
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| Bemerkung: |
"English version of SWP-Aktuell 18/2025"
Gesehen am 15.05.2025 |
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| Zusammenfassung: |
Zusammenfassung: According to the US government, the Russian government is developing a programme to arm some of its satellites with nuclear warheads. Should the Kremlin acquire this capability, it could destroy key parts of the civilian satellite infrastructure by detonating a single nuclear weapon in low Earth orbit. Important US military satellites are also located in space. The use of Russian nuclear weapons there could severely weaken the US military and potentially trigger a military escalation on Earth. The deployment of a nuclear warhead in space would constitute a violation of the Outer Space Treaty. The development of this capability appears to align with Russia’s strategic approach of undermining the established international order and engaging in high-risk actions to extract concessions from the West, particularly in the context of Ukraine. The Kremlin is also attempting to incorporate the increasingly militarised domain of space into this strategy by using non-nuclear anti-satellite weapons. Europe must be prepared to address this ongoing challenge |
