Putin ‘tries to put nuclear weapons in space’ as WW3 fears persist | World | News

Vladimir Putin is working on putting nuclear weapons in space, a military chief has said. Experts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that Moscow is continuing to “challenge and probe NATO states’ capabilities”, possibly as part of preparations for a potential future war between Russia and the West. UK Space Command chief Major General Paul Tedman said on October 2 that Moscow has been trying to jam British military satellites with ground-based systems every week, adding that Russians are “flying relatively close” to orbital devices to try and collect information.

This activity is deliberate, it is believed, and has increased since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The military boss added that Russia and China have tested anti-satellite weapons, and Russia is “developing the capability to put nuclear weapons in space”. Tedman suggested that China has more sophisticated capabilities, but Putin has at his disposal a greater will to use its counter-space systems.

“We’re seeing our satellites being jammed by the Russians on a reasonably persistent basis,” he said.

Tedman added: “They’ve got payloads on board that can see our satellites and are trying to collect information from them.”

The UK operates approximately six dedicated military satellites for communications and surveillance, which Tedman said were equipped with counter-jamming technology.

Between September 4 and 12, a US satellite was repositioned in orbit to examine a UK satellite to confirm its proper functioning.

The inspection was part of Operation Olympic Defender, a joint military framework aimed at improving satellite defence and resilience.

“Expertly executed with US Space Command, I could not be more pleased or proud of the rapid progress we are making with our allies,” Maj Gen Tedman said.

“We are now, with our allies, conducting advanced orbital operations to protect and defend our shared national and military interests in space.”

Experts also highlighted that German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius reported on September 25 that Russia had used two Olymp-K satellites to track German military Intelsat satellites.

He added that Russia and China can jam, blind, manipulate or physically disrupt satellites.