On Thursday, Russia’s Mozhaisky Military Space Academy Chief General-Major Anatoly Nestechuk revealed that the US is building small combat spacecraft weapons to knock out Russian satellites.
Overview
During the 40th US Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) roundtable at the Russian upper house, Nestechuk affirmed that such weapons can perform “a covert manoeuvre, closely approach” Russian spacecraft and “disable them in any environment and at any time.”
He also claimed that space weapons could be introduced as part of multi-satellite low-orbit communication systems like OneWeb or Starlink loaded to the reusable X-37B-type carrier rocket, which is already used frequently.
JUST IN: #BNNRussia Reports.
— Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) February 17, 2023
Major General Anatoly Nestechuk, Chief of Mozhaisky Military Space Academy said on Thursday, United States is working on small-size space weapons, which would be capable of knocking out Russian spacecrafts. #Russia #US #Defense #Spacecraft #SDI
“This, in turn, forms the threat of a space attack on our country’s critical spacecraft,” Nestechuk stated, adding that it could mean losing control “over the strategic nuclear forces, something [Russia] cannot allow to happen.”
US Leaning toward Space Warfare
The deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department, Konstantin Vorontsov, implied that the “risks of turning outer space into a bridgehead of aggression and warfare have indeed taken particular shape,” citing the rising US activities in space.
“They do not stop trying to define outer space as a new arena of rivalry and conflicts between states while stipulating US dominance and superiority as the underlying goal and designating Russia and China as the fundamental opponents,” he asserted.
Russia Can Target Ukraine’s Civilian Space Infrastructure
Vorontsov warned that Ukraine’s “quasi-civilian space infrastructure may be a legitimate target for a retaliatory strike.” He added that the “provocative use” of civilian satellites can raise concerns about the Outer Space Treaty.
Starlink says it limited Ukrainian military use, particularly for drones, because the system was never meant to be used for “offensive purposes.” Guess defending one’s country is now offensive. https://t.co/j3xvUTcI4c
— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) February 9, 2023
His comments came against the backdrop of SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell accusing Ukraine of using its satellite internet technology, Starlink, for “offensive purposes” last week and, thereby, breaking the agreement.
“Ukrainians have leveraged it in ways that were unintentional and not part of any agreement,” Shotwell remarked, without divulging details about how the Ukrainian military was using Starlink for attacks.